IntroductionNottheleastglimmeroflightescapedthecastle’stallblackwindows.
Its broken battlements sketched a jagged line across the darkened
sky. Castle Ravenloft brooded over a bleak, mist-shrouded valley.
Constructed on the sheer side of a thousand-foot cliff, the terrible
fortress was occupied by something ancient and evil.
Ablotofnightdetachedfromtheshadowedwallsofthecastleand
moved out onto a narrow balcony. Lightning revealed the sneering
countenance of Count Strahd von Zarovich.
His eyes, burning with a never-satisfied hunger, took in the
drizzling twilight, the looming peaks, and the few sad lights of the
village below. He clutched one hand to his chest and muttered, as
if making a promise, or perhaps delivering a curse, a single name:
“Ireena . . .”
Strahd grimaced, and his sharp canine teeth promised mayhem.
Abitterwindspundeadleavesabouthim,billowinghisvelvet-lined
cape.
Another fit of lightning burst from the storm’s underbelly, casting
starklightacrossStrahd’sface.Theangularmusclesofhisvisageand
the taut lines in his hands revealed a man accustomed to exercising
complete authority. In that face, no pity lived—but, perhaps, hints
of growing madness?
His eyes narrowed as he spied the newcomers. A group traveled
downOldSvalichRoadtowardthevillage.Hisgrimacetransformed
into a hideous smile. He knew they were coming, knew why they
came, and relished what would be their ultimate fate. No plan could
be called good unless blood was spilled during its execution.
All the pawns were finally assembled; all the pieces, prepared for
so long, were in place and waiting to play their parts. Even from
where he stood on the balcony, Strahd heard the unceasing pulse
of the Dayheart; its beat throbbed up through the castle stone into
his rigid flesh. Its horrid semblance of life sustained Strahd with a
vigor even more potent than the unholy existence he had enjoyed
these many centuries. Precious few weapons could permanently
harm him anymore.
Soon enough, Strahd would personally attend the newcomers.
WHAT IS EXPEDITION TO
CASTLE RAVENLOFT?
The Expedition to Castle Ravenloft campaign adventure is
designed for four 6th-level DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® charac-
ters (though player characters who survive to the adventure’s
finale should gain three or even four levels). This book pres-
ents an expanded, revised version of the original adventure
module I6: Ravenloft by Tracy and Laura Hickman. Like that
module, this adventure is a classic gothic horror story; how-
ever, modern elements of terror also infuse this book.
The original, ground-breaking adventure had several
memorable features:
• ThefantasticorthogonalmapsofCastleRavenloftdesigned
by David Sutherland proved such a powerful aid to play
that a generation of Dungeon Masters still fondly recall
them and reemploy them whenever possible.
• Characters had their fortunes told by an enigmatic gypsy.
The results of the card reading determined not only the
placement of an important treasure in the castle, but also
set the antagonist’s goals for the adventure.
• Finally, Count Strahd von Zarovich has become one of the
most infamous villains in D&D history.
Expedition to Castle Ravenloft retains these exciting features
and updates the classic adventure with a new look and a new
encounter format. The game material in encounters reflects
the most recent edition of the rules, and many of the famil-
iar elements of the original setting now include expanded
(and sometimes reimagined) backgrounds. This adventure
also presents entirely new features, threats, and rewards for
player characters.
In addition to adventure material, the appendix of this
book contains information for player characters, including
special items and magic items, new feats, and a prestige class
specifictotheRavenloftsetting:theknightoftheraven,ideal
for PCs who wish to take up the mantle of Barovia’s ancient
order of holy knights.
THE ENCOUNTER FORMAT
This updated adventure breaks some new ground of its own
as the first publication to use a new format for presenting
encounters: the combats, traps, and other challenges that
await adventurers in the village of Barovia, in the wilderness
areas around the village, and in the forbidding environs of
Castle Ravenloft itself.
Every encounter in the adventure is displayed on facing
pages. In most cases, that two-page spread contains all the
information necessary to play out that encounter at the
table—a description of the situation and how it unfolds,
statistics for monsters and traps, and a keyed map of the area
in which the encounter takes place, so that the event can be
set up and run on a battle grid using D&D miniatures.
The encounter spreads do not all provide exactly the same
kinds of information, and they don’t all look the same on the
page. Each one is tailored to provide the essential details par-
ticular to that event—the encounters that take place in the
village(Chapter2)aren’tbuiltthesamewayastheonesinthe
outlying lands of Barovia (Chapter 3)—and the encounters
in the castle are in yet another style, one that best suits that
group of events.
On rare occasions, an encounter spread refers to an earlier
page in the book for other information that might or might
not be needed, depending on how the encounter unfolds.
Mostofthesepagereferencesareawayofpreventingfrequent
repetition of certain pieces of text—for instance, we don’t
include information in every infected creature’s statistics
block about how to properly treat the necromantic infection,
because we didn’t think those details needed to be called out
every time they might come into play.
WHAT YOU NEED TO PLAY
This adventure is intended for use in any DUNGEONS &
DRAGONS game. The setting can be dropped into any cam-
paign and played out as an extended series of challenges, or
it can be truncated to span just a few playing sessions. It’s
even possible to experience the threats and thrills of Castle
Ravenloft in a single afternoon or evening of play.
YouneedthePlayer’sHandbook(PH),DungeonMaster’sGuide
(DMG), and Monster Manual (MM) to make use of the mate-
rial. This book draws from some D&D supplements as well,
particularlyLibrisMortis:TheBookofUndead.However,allthe
information a DM needs to run the adventure is provided in
these pages.
INTRODUCTION
4
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elcome to Barovia, a mist-shrouded forest
valley in the southeastern foothills of a brood-
ing mountain range. This minor realm is little
visited, being far off the major trade routes and
having a poor reputation in surrounding lands.
Ancient curses, gloomy weather, and vicious werewolves
plague the long-suffering peasants who bend beneath the
yoke of a cruel nobleman.
ADVENTURE
BACKGROUND
Hundredsofyearsago,CountStrahdvonZarovichconquered
Barovia and moved his family, “long unseated from their
ancient thrones,” to the valley, fortifying Castle Ravenloft
and raising it to new grandeur. Strahd is the architect of
his own vampiric existence, having made a blood pact with
an unnamed evil entity. Since that time, he has lingered
on while his family perished one by one. Now he rules the
lands of Barovia alone.
After centuries of dreary inertia, and perhaps growing a
bit mad in his endless existence, the count has developed
new aspirations. The time has come for Strahd to move, and
for the player characters to resist him, if they can.
The PCs have their own reasons to venture into Barovia.
Their investigation leads deep into the misty valley and the
village of the same name, until they finally discover the
infamous Castle Ravenloft and its grim master.
PREPARATION
As with any preconstructed adventure, you should read
through Expedition to Castle Ravenloft ahead of time to
become familiar with the material. The adventure is
divided into keyed encounters, linked by letters and
numbers to specific areas of the overview map of Barovia
on page 54. The PCs might reach the various encounter
areas by a number of different routes and at various
timesduringthecourseoftheadventure.Thisnonlinear
flow means that sometimes an encounter might refer to
details described later in the book, so it is important to
have a solid grasp of the interconnected elements.
TACTICAL ENCOUNTER FORMAT
Some encounters use traditional narrative text. For
those in which combat is expected, the entry points
to an associated tactical encounter; these encounters
are collected at the end of each chapter.
Each tactical encounter includes a map of the
roomorareainwhichtheencountertakesplace.The
information includes creature statistics and tactics,
initialpositionsofcombatants,thelocationsoftraps
or other hazards, and other details important to the
encounter.
Theencountersinthisadventurearedesignedforuse
with DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® miniatures, which make
the interactions of combatants easier to visualize.
5
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COUNT STRAHD
VON ZAROVICH
Expedition to Castle Ravenloft centers around the vampire
StrahdvonZarovich.AsDungeonMaster,youmustplayhim
as carefully as the players run their characters. Always keep
in mind his motives, his activities, and his plans.
The following text provides Strahd’s full statistics block,
along with important notes and explanations. You can
photocopy these pages for reference during the adventure.
Variations on this statistics block appear elsewhere, in tacti-
cal encounters involving the vampire, since he might adopt
different forms or prepare different spells to maximize his
options in different circumstances. In such cases, Strahd’s
statistics are abbreviated to fit into the tactical encounter
format; see the Undead and Vampire Characteristics sidebar
for a summary of these shortened ability entries.
Count Strahd von Zarovich CR 15
Male vampire (human) necromancer 10
LE Medium undead (augmented humanoid)
Init +7; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Listen +13, Spot +13
Languages Common, Draconic, Elven, Giant, Infernal
AC 27, touch 15, flat-footed 24; Dodge
hp 70 (10 HD); fast healing 5; DR 10/silver and magic
Immune sunlight; undead immunities
Resist acid 10, cold 10, electricity 10, fire 10, positive energy
10, sonic 10; +4 turn resistance; ring of counterspells
(dispel magic), nondetection
Fort +6, Ref +11, Will +13
Weakness vampire vulnerabilities (except sunlight)
Speed 30 ft. (6 squares), spider climb 20 ft.
Melee slam +9 (1d6+4 plus energy drain)
Base Atk +5; Grp +9
Atk Options Combat Reflexes, energy drain, magic strike
Special Actions alternate form, blood drain 1d4 Con, children
of the night 1/night, dominate (Will DC 18), gaseous form
Combat Gear bead of force, lesser Silent metamagic rod, ring of
counterspells
Wizard Spells Prepared (CL 10th; prohibited schools
abjuration and illusion):
5th—cloudkill (DC 20), fell draining lightning bolt (DC 18;
creatures that take damage also gain one negative
level), mind fog (DC 20), waves of fatigue
4th—dimension door, enervation (+8 ranged touch), fear
(DC 19), enervated scorching ray (+8 ranged touch,
+50% damage to living creatures, half damage to
unliving), scrying (DC 19)
3rd—deep slumber (DC 18), fireball (DC 18), haste, fell
draining magic missile (creatures that take damage also
gain one negative level), ray of exhaustion (+8 ranged
touch, DC 18)
2nd—blindness/deafness (DC 17), false life, fog cloud,
scorching ray (+8 ranged touch), see invisibility,
spectral hand
1st—chill touch (+9 melee touch, DC 16), expeditious
retreat, mage armor (2), magic missile, ray of
enfeeblement (+8 ranged touch), true strike
0—detect magic (2), ghost sound (DC 15), message, touch
of fatigue (+9 melee touch, DC 15)
Abilities Str 18, Dex 16, Con —, Int 20, Wis 17, Cha 16
SQ create spawn, forest sign, mountain sign, swamp sign
Feats AlertnessB
, Combat Casting*, Combat ReflexesB
,
DodgeB
, Enervate Spell†B
, Fell Drain†B
, Improved Energy
Drain†, Improved InitiativeB
, Lightning ReflexesB
, Positive
Energy Resistance†, Scribe ScrollB
, Spell Drain†
*If you are using the taint rules in Heroes of Horror,
replace Combat Casting with the Touch of Taint feat from
that book.
†Feats described in Libris Mortis.
Skills Bluff +17, Concentration +16, Diplomacy +7, Disguise
+3 (+5 acting), Hide +13, Intimidate +11, Knowledge
(arcana) +18, Knowledge (religion) +18, Listen +13, Move
Silently +17, Search +13, Sense Motive +17, Spellcraft +20,
Spot +13
Possessions combat gear plus ring of protection +2, cloak of
resistance +3
Spellbooks See “Strahd’s Spellbooks,” below.
Fast Healing (Ex) If reduced to 0 hp in combat, Strahd
automatically and immediately assumes gaseous form
and makes his way toward his crypt (area K86).
Vampire Vulnerabilities As long as the Dayheart remains
intact, Strahd suffers no ill effects from sunlight.
Energy Drain (Su) Living creatures hit by Strahd’s slam attack
gain two negative levels. At the same time, Strahd gains
10 temporary hit points and a +2 bonus on skill checks,
ability checks, attack rolls, and saving throws for 1 hour.
(This bonus derives from his Improved Energy Drain
feat.)
Whenever a spellcaster opponent loses a prepared
spell due to energy drain, Strahd gains the ability to cast
that spell once (as if he had prepared it). The spell’s
effect is treated as if the original spellcaster had cast it.
The spell remains in Strahd’s mind for up to 1 hour, and
he can keep up to three stolen spells at a time. This
ability has no effect on spellcasters who don’t prepare
spells or on characters who have no spells prepared.
(This ability comes from his Spell Drain feat.)
If you are using the taint rules in Heroes of Horror,
Strahd’s energy drain also increases the target’s depravity
score by 2 points or its corruption and depravity scores
by 1 point each (because of his Touch of Taint feat).
Magic Strike (Su) If Strahd hits with his slam attack, the
attack is treated as magic for the purpose of overcoming
damage reduction.
Alternate Form (Su) See below for Strahd’s statistics in his
animal forms. In animal form, Strahd cannot use his
equipment or cast spells, nor can he use his dominate
ability.
Blood Drain (Ex) If you are using the taint rules in Heroes of
Horror, Strahd’s blood drain also increases the target’s
corruption score by 2 points (because of his Touch of
Taint feat).
Gaseous Form (Su) Strahd’s Armor Class in gaseous form is
15 (19 with mage armor active), touch 15, flat-footed 12.
Forest Sign (Su) As a result of his connection to the forests
of Barovia, Strahd benefits from a constant nondetection
effect on himself and his gear, as the spell (caster level
check DC 19). If Strahd’s connection to the Forest Fane is
severed, Strahd loses this benefit and his CR is reduced
by 1.
Mountain Sign (Su) As a result of his connection to the
mountains of Barovia, Strahd is surrounded by a field of
force armor that grants him a +6 armor bonus to AC.
Because it is made of force, this armor protects him
against incorporeal attacks and applies when Strahd is in
gaseous form. If Strahd’s connection to the Mountain
Fane is severed, his Armor Class is reduced to 21 and his
CR is reduced by 1.
Swamp Sign (Su) As a result of his connection to the
swamps of Barovia, Strahd has resistance to acid 10, fire
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10, and sonic 10. If his connection to the Swamp Fane is
severed, Strahd loses these resistances and his CR is
reduced by 1.
When in bat form, Strahd has the following changed
statistics:
Bat Form CR 15
LE Diminutive undead (augmented humanoid)
AC 22, touch 16, flat-footed 20
Ref +7
Speed 5 ft. (1 square), fly 40 ft. (good)
Melee —
Grp –12
Abilities Str 1, Dex 15
Skills Disguise +3 (+13 to mimic bat), Hide +24, Move
Silently +16
When in dire bat form, Strahd has the following changed
statistics:
Dire Bat Form CR 15
LE Large undead (augmented humanoid)
AC 26, touch 15, flat-footed 20
Ref +11
Speed 20 ft. (4 squares), fly 40 ft. (good)
Melee bite +7 (1d8+4 plus energy drain)
Grp +12
Abilities Str 17, Dex 22
Skills Disguise +3 (+13 to mimic dire bat), Hide +12, Move
Silently +20
When in dire wolf form, Strahd has the following changed
statistics:
Dire Wolf Form CR 15
LE Large undead (augmented humanoid)
AC 20, touch 11, flat-footed 18
Ref +7
Speed 50 ft. (10 squares)
Melee bite +11 (1d8+10 plus energy drain)
Grp +16
Atk Options trip +11
Abilities Str 25, Dex 15
Skills Disguise +3 (+13 to mimic dire wolf), Hide +8, Move
Silently +16
Trip (Ex) In dire wolf form, Strahd can attempt to trip
an opponent he hits with a bite attack.
Strahd calls himself the “first vampire,” but
theclaimseemsunlikely.Thedetailsofhis
story are set down in the Tome of Strahd,
with key excerpts presented on page 22.
Strahd is a tall man, standing just over 6 feet. His body
is lean and hard, and his gaunt face has strong features and
prominent cheekbones. His eyes are dark and hypnotic, like
deep pools with subtle reflections of red light, but when he is
enraged they burn like red-hot coals. His skin is usually pale,
but it becomes flushed with each feeding and retains that
healthy-lookingcolorforseveralhours.Hiselongatedandthin
fingershavelong,sharpnails.Hisfangsarenotobviousunless
he wants them to be noticed—he can speak and even yawn
without revealing his true nature. When he attacks, however,
the fangs lengthen to protrude from his mouth.
Strahd prefers to wear black with touches of white and
red. His clothing style is the tailored, layered look common
to the nobility.
SPECIAL STRENGTHS AND
WEAKNESSES
Strahd differs from standard vampires in a few key respects.
He enjoys an unnatural connection with the land of Barovia
(see below), which has given him three significant defensive
abilities: force armor, energy resistance, and a constant non-
detection effect. Strahd has no aversion to garlic or mirrors.
Though he can be turned, characters cannot keep him at
bay simply by presenting a holy symbol. He can enter any
building in Barovia, whether he is invited or not. Finally,
the artifact known as the Dayheart (see below) grants Strahd
immunity to the destructive effects of sunlight.
In addition to the standard alternate forms assumed by
vampires, Strahd can take the shape of a batlike humanoid
(“werebat” form) and a bestial humanoid with wolfish charac-
teristics (feral form). These special forms appear in Strahd’s
statistics block for encounters in which he assumes them.
The Wilderness Fanes: In the countryside of Barovia
stand ancient sites of worship. Strahd appropriated three
such wilderness fanes located near his castle—one in the
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Undead creatures—especially vampires—are a recurring
theme in Expedition to Castle Ravenloft. Full descriptions of the
special abilities, resistances, and weaknesses of these creatures
would make their stat blocks unwieldy as well as repeating large
amounts of text. To save space, this sidebar summarizes the
details common to such creatures. Where an exception exists,
such as Strahd’s ignoring typical vampire aversions, that fact
is noted in the creature’s stat block.
UNDEAD CHARACTERISTICS
An undead creature has the following characteristics
(MM 317).
Undead Immunities: Immunity to all mind-affecting spells
and abilities (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns,
and morale effects), poison, sleep effects, paralysis, stunning,
disease, and death effects. Not subject to extra damage from
critical hits, nonlethal damage, ability drain, or energy drain.
Immune to damage to physical ability scores (Strength, Dex-
terity, and Constitution), as well as to fatigue and exhaustion
effects. Not at risk of death from massive damage, but when
reduced to 0 hit points or less, it is immediately destroyed.
Immune to any effect that requires a Fortitude save (unless the
effect also works on objects or is harmless).
Undead Traits: Darkvision out to 60 feet. No Constitution
score. Uses its Charisma modifier for Concentration checks.
Not affected by raise dead and reincarnate spells or abilities.
Resurrection and true resurrection turn undead creatures back
into the living creatures they were before becoming undead.
Negative energy (such as an inflict spell) can heal undead
creatures. Undead do not breathe, eat, or sleep.
VAMPIRE CHARACTERISTICS
A vampire has the following characteristics (MM 252). Vampire
spawn share many of these abilities.
Vampire Abilities: The DC for all saves against these abilities
is 10 + 1/2 vampire’s or spawn’s HD + vampire’s or spawn’s Cha
modifier unless otherwise specified (MM 252).
Fast Healing (Ex): A vampire heals 5 points of damage each
round so long as it has at least 1 hit point; a vampire spawn
heals 2 points of damage each round. If reduced to 0 hp in
combat, a vampire or vampire spawn automatically and imme-
diately assumes gaseous form and must reach its tomb within
2 hours or be utterly destroyed. Any additional damage it takes
in gaseous form has no effect. Once at rest in its crypt, the
vampire or vampire spawn is helpless for 1 hour. After 1 hour,
it regains 1 hit point and is no longer helpless, then resumes
healing at the normal rate per round.
Spider Climb (Ex): A vampire or vampire spawn can climb
sheer surfaces as though with a spider climb spell.
Energy Drain (Su): Living creatures hit by a vampire’s slam
attack gain two negative levels, and the vampire gains 10 tem-
porary hit points. Living creatures hit by a vampire spawn’s
slam attack gain one negative level, and the vampire spawn
gains 5 temporary hit points. See DMG 293 for more informa-
tion about energy drain and negative levels.
Alternate Form (Su): A vampire can assume the shape of a
bat, dire bat, wolf, or dire wolf as a standard action. This ability
is similar to a polymorph spell (CL 12th), except that a vampire
does not regain hit points for changing form and must choose
one of these forms. A vampire in animal form loses its natural
slam attack and its dominate ability.
Blood Drain (Ex): A vampire or vampire spawn can suck
blood from a living victim with its fangs by making a success-
ful grapple check. If it pins the foe, it drains blood, dealing 1d4
points of Constitution drain each round the pin is maintained.
On each such successful attack, the vampire or vampire spawn
gains 5 temporary hit points that last for up to 1 hour. This abil-
ity does not affect elementals, plants, or creatures that lack a
Constitution score.
Children of the Night (Su): Once per day, a vampire can call
forth 1d6+1 rat swarms, 1d4+1 bat swarms, or a pack of 3d6
wolves as a standard action. The creatures arrive in 2d6 rounds
and serve the vampire for up to 1 hour.
Dominate (Su): A vampire can crush an opponent’s will just
by looking into his or her eyes. This is similar to a gaze attack
with a range of 30 feet, except that the vampire must use a
standard action and choose a single target—those merely look-
ing at it are unaffected. The vampire’s target must succeed on
a Will save or fall instantly under its influence as though by a
dominate person spell (CL 12th).
Create Spawn (Su): A humanoid or monstrous humanoid
slain by a vampire’s energy drain rises as a vampire spawn
1d4 days after burial. A victim slain by a vampire’s blood drain
returns as a spawn (4 or fewer HD) or as a vampire (5 or more
HD).
Gaseous Form (Su): As gaseous form at will (CL 5th), but the
vampire or vampire spawn can remain gaseous indefinitely and
has a fly speed of 20 feet with perfect maneuverability.
Vampire Aversions: A vampire or vampire spawn cannot
tolerate the strong odor of garlic. It recoils from a mirror or
strongly presented holy symbol. When recoiling, it must stay
at least 5 feet away from a creature holding the mirror or holy
symbol and cannot touch or make melee attacks against the
creature holding the item for the rest of the encounter. Holding
a vampire or vampire spawn at bay takes a standard action. A
vampire or vampire spawn can’t cross running water (though it
can be carried across) and can’t enter a private building unless
invited.
Vampire Vulnerabilities: Vampires and vampire spawn share
the following vulnerabilities.
Sunlight: If a vampire or vampire spawn is exposed to direct
sunlight, it is disoriented and can take only a single move action
or standard action in the first round of exposure. In the next
round, it is destroyed utterly.
Running Water: Immersing a vampire or vampire spawn in
running water deals one-third of its hit points in damage each
round. If it reaches 0 hit points when immersed, or at the end
of three rounds of immersion, the creature is destroyed.
Wooden Stake: If a vampire or vampire spawn is helpless, a
foe can take a full-round action (similar to a coup de grace) to
drive a wooden stake through its heart. This renders the body
inert, like a normal corpse, and makes it vulnerable to normal
attacks so that it can be destroyed. If the wooden stake is re-
moved before the body is destroyed, however, the vampire or
vampire spawn returns to unlife, although it has 0 hit points
and assumes gaseous form.
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UNDEAD AND VAMPIRE CHARACTERISTICS
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Svalich Woods, one in the swamp to the east, and one high
in the mountains. Performing dark rituals at each once-sanc-
tified altar, Strahd bound himself to the land and the land
to him, gaining great powers in the bargain. Stripping him
of those powers requires visiting each fane and performing
specific rituals to sever his connection to the land.
The Dayheart: This massive crystal, fed by dreadful
energies, grants vampires linked to it immunity from the
effects of sunlight. The Dayheart occupies the highest part
of one of the castle’s spires. For more information about this
artifact, see area 60A in Castle Ravenloft (page 158) and the
Appendix.
Legacy Items: Two legendary magic items of great power
can overcome many of Strahd’s defenses. The Holy Symbol
of Ravenkind predates the arrival of Strahd’s family in Baro-
via and is a potent tool against vampires, but has been lost
for centuries. The Sunsword, the original model for all sun
blades, is the bane of undead. Strahd attempted to have the
weapon destroyed, but unknown to him, its blade survives.
For more about these two items, and the rituals needed to
fully awaken their powers, see the Appendix.
IREENA
Strahd believes that Ireena Kolyana (see page 31) is the
reincarnation of Tatyana von Zarovich, wife of Strahd’s
brother Sergei. Strahd’s unrequited love for Tatyana drove
him to madness and plunged him over the precipice into
irredeemable evil. Having seen Ireena in Barovia, Strahd
believes his ancient love has returned to him, and he seeks
to claim her. This obsession is the primary motivation for
everything he does.
Strahd wants to “win the love” of Ireena, but in the evil
manner of a corrupt immortal, such wooing occurs over
the course of three visits. He believes that in this way he is
“building a relationship.” During the first two visits, Strahd
lulled Ireena into complacency through domination. He
maneuvered her into being alone with him so he could bite
herneckanddrainsomeofherblood.Hehopestodeliverthe
last bite during their third meeting, making her his vampire
consort.
Strahd never directly attacks Ireena, nor does any creature
under his command. However, he had her father, the burgo-
master, killed for attempting to interfere in their romantic
“destiny.”Hekeepsaneyeoutforanyopportunitytoseparate
Ireena from the PCs, should she join them, then bring her
into a new realm of existence. Domination is Strahd’s ace in
the hole—ten days remain before the effect ends, though
Ireena doesn’t realize she is under the vampire’s control.
Strahd calls upon this advantage only when he deems the
time is ripe to bring his bride-to-be into the fold.
SERVANTS OF THE MASTER
As the undisputed master of Barovia, Strahd has many spies,
from swarms of bats to wandering Vistani, packs of ghouls
to drifting ghosts. These agents constantly patrol the lands
of Barovia and report everything they see to Strahd.
EverydayandeverynightthePCsremaininBarovia,some
spy of the count checks on them and attempts to return to
Strahd with a report (once every 12 hours). A spy does not
constitute an encounter if the PCs are unaware of its pres-
ence. If they do notice it, the spy’s top priority is usually
escape, not combat. After all, Strahd brought the PCs to
Barovia for a reason, and killing them would run counter
to the master’s directives—at least at the outset. (Later on,
Strahd might well want the PCs dead; if so, his spies attempt
to carry out his wishes, though they still flee when a fight
turns against them.)
A secondary goal for a spy is to acquire some physical
object—apossession,anarticleofclothing,orevensomepart
ofacharacter’sbodysuchasalockofhairorabitofnail—that
pqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqrs
STRAHD’S SPELLBOOKS
More than simply a treasure to be won by skilled or lucky PCs,
Strahd’s spellbooks represent a wealth of additional tactical
options for the vampiric genius. The following lists additional
spells that Strahd knows in addition to those he has prepared.
Feel free to substitute different prepared spells to account for
the party’s capabilities and weaknesses. If you have access to
sources other than the Player’s Handbook, particularly Spell
Compendium, you can substitute spells from those books for
others in Strahd’s repertoire.
5th—cone of cold, hold monster, magic jar, prying eyes, teleport,
wall of force.
4th—animate dead, arcane eye, bestow curse, confusion, con-
tagion, detect scrying, Otiluke’s resilient sphere, solid fog.
3rd—clairaudience/clairvoyance, gentle repose, hold person,
slow, stinking cloud, vampiric touch, wind wall.
2nd—bull’s strength, cat’s grace, command undead, darkness,
detect thoughts, glitterdust, gust of wind, Melf’s acid arrow, see
invisibility, Tasha’s hideous laughter, touch of idiocy, web.
1st—burning hands, cause fear, charm person, comprehend
languages, identify, obscuring mist, shocking grasp, sleep, unseen
servant.
0—all except abjuration and illusion.
pqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqrs
Tactical Encounter Maps
All maps are scaled in 5-foot squares for the sake of regu-
lating movement on the battle grid. As described on page
59 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide, if a map feature covers
morethanhalfofagivensquare,thefeatureisconsidered
to extend into that square. For example, if an area of light
undergrowthskirtstheedgesofasquare,buttherestofthe
square is clear, then entering that square entails no extra
movementcost.Iftheundergrowthextendspastthecenter
of the square, the square costs 2 squares to move into.
Diagonal walls on the tactical maps are positioned so
theycutthroughthesidesofsquaresedgesinsteadofrun-
ning from corner to corner. As a result, it’s easy to tell on
whichsideofawallacharactercanstandinagivensquare,
sinceeverysquarethatadiagonalwallpassesthroughhas
one area that is largely clear and another tiny corner that
is impassable.
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Strahd can use to cast scrying more reliably. If confronted by
the party, the spy attempts to grab some accessible item from
a character and then flees if possible.
Should the situation merit his personal involvement,
Strahd himself might leave the castle to observe the PCs.
Each day the PCs remain in Barovia, choose one of the
following spies or roll 1d20. Add 1 to this roll each day after
the first.
d20 Spy
1–4 —
5–10 1d3+1 Vistani (EL 6)
11–15 1d4+1 worgs (EL 6; MM 257)
16–18 Varikov the trapper (EL 7; see below)
19–20 Kavan the Grim (EL 7; see page 11)
21+ Scrying spell
Each night the PCs remain in Barovia, choose one of the
following spies or roll 1d20. Again, add 1 to the roll each
night after the first.
d20 Spy
1–3 2d4 worgs (EL 7; MM 257)
4–6 1d4+1 dire wolves (EL 7; MM 65)
7–9 2d4 bat swarms (EL 7; MM 237)
10–12 2d4 dire bats (EL 7; MM 62)
13–14 2 ghasts plus 2d4 ghouls (EL 7; MM 119)
15–16 1d4+1 vampire spawn (EL 7; MM 253)
17–18 1 wraith (MM 258) plus
1d3+1 wights (MM 255) (EL 8)
19–20 1d3 spectres (EL 9; MM 232)
21–22 Sasha Ivliskova (see page 13) plus
2 vampire spawn (EL 8)
23+ Strahd (EL 15; see page 6) (roll 1d6):
1–2: Dire wolf form plus 1d4+1 dire wolves
3–4: Bat form plus 2d4 bat swarms
5–6: Dire bat form plus 2d4 dire bats
VISTANI
TheVistaniofBaroviaarealoosegangofhumanandhalfling
thieves, smugglers, extortionists, and con artists. They travel
the region in small groups, carrying stolen goods and con-
traband between Barovia’s neighbors on all sides. Although
the villagers fear and despise them, the Vistani are under
the protection of Strahd and are among his most loyal and
useful servants.
ThesehumanVistanilooklikethugs,armedwithwickedly
curved swords and wearing chain shirts under their colorful
garb, but they are actually skilled rogues—and keen observ-
ers. If the PCs spend time in the village of Barovia, several
Vistani sit or stand in a cluster nearby, seemingly engrossed
inaconversationintheirownlanguagewhileonepaysatten-
tion only to the PCs. A character who makes a successful
Sense Motive check opposed by any Vistani’s Bluff check
result (Vistani have a +6 modifier) notices one of the group
watching the PCs.
WhenthePCsareoutsidethevillage,theVistanitailthem
throughthewildernessforanhourorso,remainingabout60
feet away and using their elixirs of hiding and elixirs of sneaking
(increasing their Hide and Move Silently modifiers to +16).
The PCs can attempt to notice the spies every 10 minutes,
making opposed checks (Spot against the Vistani’s Hide, and
ListenagainsttheirMoveSilently).Rememberthatwhenthe
Vistani are moving through light undergrowth, the PCs get
a +2 bonus on their Listen checks, while heavy undergrowth
gives a +5 bonus. If attacked, the Vistani drink their potions
of shield of faith and flee at the earliest opportunity.
For more about the Vistani, including statistics blocks,
see encounter area G on page 52 and the associated tactical
encounter on page 76.
WORGS
These large, intelligent wolves follow the PCs. During day-
lighthours,thepackisarelativelysmallgroupthatstaysabout
70 to 120 feet from the PCs. This separation corresponds to
themaximumdistanceatwhichtheirSpotcheckscandetect
the PCs in a dense forest (2d6 × 10 feet; DMG 87). If the PCs
attacktheworgsduringdaylight,thecreaturesscatterimme-
diately, running off in different directions.
At night, the pack is larger and more aggressive. The worgs
stay about 30 to 60 feet away from the PCs (1d4+2 × 10 feet),
since they must rely on their fog-hindered darkvision to
keep tabs on the party. If the PCs threaten or attack them
at night, the worgs try to surround the party and fight back,
withdrawing only after roughly one-quarter of them have
been slain.
Should the PCs remain in the village during the day, they
can see and hear the worgs ranging around the edge of town
andhowlingfrequently.IfthePCsstayinthevillageatnight,
the worgs snarl and howl as they stalk the streets outside the
building where the characters are lodging.
In combat, the worgs use flanking and aid one another in
attacks to hit high-AC characters more easily. If one manages
to trip a PC, the other worgs concentrate their attacks on that
character and make attacks of opportunity when she tries to
stand. (A worg cannot use that attack of opportunity to trip
thecharacteragain,sincesheisalreadypronewhentheattack
occurs.)Flankingworgsoftentaketurnsfightingdefensively
(–4 attack, +2 AC), but if a foe concentrates attacks on one of
the pair, that one takes the total defense action (+4 AC, no
attacks) while the other makes the best use of flanking.
VARIKOV THE TRAPPER
This dwarf ranger is a depraved killer who enjoys trapping
and skinning human prey more than animal quarry. He
knows the Svalich Woods and the surrounding area better
than any other living creature. Varikov’s lair is a cave behind
Tser Falls (area H on the overview map).
VarikovkeepshisdistancewhenspyingonthePCs,relying
onhisgoodSpotmodifiertokeepthemwithinthemaximum
range of his vision (roughly 120 feet during the day, or 60 feet
at night) while trying to stay out of their sight. If he loses
sight of the PCs, he uses Track to follow their trail until he
canseethemagain.Farkash,hiswolfcompanion,usestheaid
another action to help Varikov in tracking. Varikov’s favored
enemy is humans, so he gains a +2 bonus on Survival checks
to track the party if it includes a human.
The ranger tries his best to avoid combat, but if the PCs
notice him and attack, he does not retreat until defeat is
obvious. Even then, if he is sure that a significant number of
the PCs can keep up with his relatively low speed, he stands
and fights desperately rather than making a futile attempt
to get away.
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FormoreaboutVarikov,includingstatisticsforhimandFar-
kash,seeencounterareaHonpage62andtheassociatedtactical
encounter on page 82.
KAVAN THE GRIM
Strahd has been experi-
menting to create vampire
minions with the ability to
move about in daylight. He might
even be planning to create a population of
the daywalker breed (see Strahd’s Dynasty on page
15). Among the first of these creations, Kavan the Grim is a
savage brute who relishes his new ability to cause mayhem
under the noonday sun. His ferocity makes him a poor
covert spy, but he can accurately report on the PCs’ combat
abilities.
Kavan hurries toward the party at top speed, making no
effort at stealth—once he closes to 90 feet, the PCs notice his
approach.Onhisfirstturnincombat,Kavanragesandmoves
to attack the nearest character. He fights until he drops to 0
hit points, then drifts off in gaseous form toward the crypts
beneath Castle Ravenloft.
Kavan’sdaylightattackshouldbeaclearwarningtothePCs
that they are not up against any normal vampire foe. Unlike
Strahd, though, Kavan suffers from the normal vampire
aversions.
Kavan the Grim CR 7
Male vampire (human) barbarian 5
CE Medium undead (augmented humanoid)
Init +8; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Listen +12, Spot +8
Languages Common, Giant
AC 22, touch 12, flat-footed 18
(+4 Dex, +4 armor, +6 natural, –2 raging)
hp 38 (5 HD); fast healing 5; DR 10/silver and magic
Immune sunlight; undead immunities
Resist cold 10, electricity 10; +4 turn resistance
Fort +4, Ref +7, Will +5
Weakness vampire aversions, vampire vulnerabilities (except
sunlight)
Speed 45 ft. (9 squares), spider climb 20 ft.
Melee +1 bastard sword +15 (1d10+10) and
slam +9 (1d6+4 plus energy drain)
Base Atk +5; Grp +14
Atk Options Combat Reflexes, energy drain, magic strike,
rage 5/day (3 rounds)
Special Actions blood drain 1d4 Con, gaseous form
Combat Gear potion of resist fire 10
Abilities Str 28, Dex 18, Con —, Int 14, Wis 15, Cha 14
SQ create spawn
Feats AlertnessB
, Combat ReflexesB
, Dash*†, DodgeB
, Exotic
Weapon ProficiencyB
(bastard sword), Extra Rage*,
Improved InitiativeB
, Lightning ReflexesB
*Feat described in Complete Warrior
*If you are using the taint rules in Heroes of Horror,
replace Dash with the Touch of Taint feat from that book.
Kavan’s speed becomes 40 ft. (8 squares).
Skills Intimidate +10, Jump +20, Listen +20, Sense Motive
+10, Spot +16, Survival +10
Possessions combat gear plus masterwork chain shirt, +1
bastard sword, gauntlets of ogre power
Kavan the Grim
Illus.byE.Widermann
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Fast Healing (Ex) If reduced to 0 hp in combat, Kavan
automatically and immediately assumes gaseous form
and makes his way toward an empty crypt in area K84,
which he must reach within 2 hours or be utterly
destroyed.
Vampire Vulnerabilities Kavan suffers no ill effects from
sunlight.
Energy Drain (Su) Living creatures hit by Kavan’s slam attack
gain two negative levels. At the same time, Kavan gains
10 temporary hit points.
If you are using the taint rules in Heroes of Horror,
Kavan’s energy drain also increases the target’s depravity
score by 2 points or its corruption and depravity scores
by 1 point each (because of his Touch of Taint feat).
Magic Strike (Su) If Kavan hits with his slam attack, the
attack is treated as magic for the purpose of overcoming
damage reduction.
Blood Drain (Ex) If you are using the taint rules in Heroes of
Horror, Kavan’s blood drain also increases the target’s
corruption score by 2 points (because of his Touch of
Taint feat).
Gaseous Form (Su) Kavan’s Armor Class in gaseous form is
14, touch 14, flat-footed 10.
When not raging, Kavan has the following changed statistics:
AC 24, touch 14, flat-footed 20
Will +3
Melee +1 bastard sword +13 (1d10+8) and
slam +7 (1d6+3 plus energy drain)
Grp +12
Special Actions alternate form (doesn’t use), children of the
night (doesn’t use), dominate (Will DC 14)
Abilities Str 24
Skills Bluff +10, Hide +15, Jump +18, Move Silently +15,
Search +10, Sense Motive +10, Survival +10
Alternate Form (Su) Although Kavan can change to other
forms as any other vampires can, he never does so.
Children of the Night (Su) Kavan revels in his own power and
never uses this ability.
SCRYING SPELL
Strahd casts scrying on one of the PCs, based on the infor-
mation reported to him by earlier spies. If the PCs have
preventedanyspyfromreturningtoStrahdwithinformation
about them, there is no scrying attempt this day.
Strahd targets the character he believes is most likely to
fail the Will save (DC 19). Take into account any of the fol-
lowing circumstances that apply:
• If Strahd is relying entirely on spies’ information, his
choice of target is based on a sketchy description of the
PCs. If one of the PCs is described as brutish (a half-orc
barbarian, perhaps), then Strahd targets that character. He
does not choose any character whose description suggests
a spellcaster or one who has an animal companion.
• If Strahd has observed the PCs in action before, he targets
the character with the lowest Will save modifier.
• Unless Strahd has personally seen the PCs, the targeted
character gets a +5 bonus on the Will save.
• If his spies secured a possession or garment of one of the
PCs, Strahd targets that character, who takes a –4 penalty
on the Will save.
• If his spies secured a lock of hair, bit of nail, or similar
piece of one of the PCs, Strahd targets that character, who
takes a –10 penalty on the Will save.
DIRE WOLVES
Larger but far less intelligent than Strahd’s worg spies, these
animals trail the PCs (or circle their camp) in a pack, occa-
sionally piercing the night with their cries. If the PCs spend
thenightinthevillage,theyhearthewolves’howlingnearby
after nightfall. If a PC is alone, whether in the woods or on
thestreets,thepackattacksimmediately.Otherwise,thedire
wolves attack 1 hour after locating the party, even entering
the village and trying to break through doors and windows.
They try to flank and trip PCs but are not as sophisticated in
their tactics as worgs—they do not position themselves to
make attacks of opportunity, nor do they fight defensively.
BAT SWARMS
Masses of bats engulf all the PCs in their area. If the party
is inside a building, the bats pour in through open doors,
windows, and chimneys. They swarm around the PCs for
up to 10 rounds, then disperse. Even if the swarms are dis-
persed before then, some bats return to Strahd to give their
report.
DIRE BATS
Enormous bats fly 10 feet off the ground over the area where
the PCs are spending the night, screeching horribly (and
striking terror into the townsfolk, if the PCs are in the vil-
lage). If attacked, the bats fight back fiercely but flee after
two are killed.
GHASTS AND GHOULS
This pack of undead stalks through the village or circles
the PCs’ camp in the wilderness. If attacked, the monsters
scatter—butreturninahalfanhourorso,maintainingtheir
distance. Their aim is to tire the characters out by forcing
them to remain vigilant through the night; the pack strikes
about an hour before dawn. The undead use tactics similar
to those of worgs: They concentrate on characters they per-
ceive as weak, and team up to exploit flanking or use the aid
another action. If a ghoul begins its turn adjacent to a para-
lyzed character and at least 15 feet away from a nonparalyzed
character, it grabs the paralyzed character and moves away
from the battle. The ghasts continue to fight until no ghouls
remain, then flee.
VAMPIRE SPAWN
These weak vampires were villagers until very recently, and
they appear to be young, healthy humans—until they open
their mouths. They behave in a friendly fashion, trying to
get close enough to attack as many PCs as possible before
the party can react. In particular, they target lightly armored
characters who might otherwise stay out of melee and use
ranged spells or attacks. Once each is adjacent to a PC, or
combat begins, the spawn bare their fangs and attack. They
fight without fear, fleeing to Castle Ravenloft (and their cof-
fins in the crypts) in gaseous form if they are reduced to 0
hit points.
WRAITH AND WIGHTS
Like the ghouls, these undead stalk through the village or
circle the PCs’ camp in the wilderness. Unlike the ghouls,
they aim to hit hard, weaken the PCs, and then retreat. The
wraith sends the wights forward in a pack to assault the main
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group while it sneaks around to attack spellcasters who are
avoiding melee. The wights try to bestow negative levels on
as many PCs as possible, while the wraith drains as much
Constitution from its target as it can. Once half the wights
have been destroyed, the remaining undead try to flee.
SPECTRES
Theseincorporealundeadbegin
anencounterbyexploitingtheir
unnatural aura. PCs in the vil-
lage hear their stabled horses
neighing wildly in response to
spectres’ presence. If the PCs
are camping in the wild, the
spectres deliberately approach
horses, animal companions,
or any other animals with the
party.(Arcanefamiliarsandspe-
cial mounts are magical beasts,
not animals, so they are not
affectedbythespectres’unnatu-
ral aura.) The spectres then hide
in solid objects nearby (such
as the ground), leaving only
their faces exposed. They attack
anyone investigating the source
of the disturbance, draining the
PCs of life energy to weaken
them against Strahd. Once they
have done sufficient damage, or
if battle turns against them, the
spectres dive into the ground
and head back to the castle to
report their observations.
SASHA IVLISKOVA
Sasha Ivliskova is a beautiful
anddangerousvampirewhowas
transformedbyStrahdinanear-
lier romantic liaison. Although
she is normally confined to her
crypt beneath the castle, Sasha
has been let off her short leash
to spy on the PCs. She brings
two vampire spawn with her
but avoids combat at all costs.
She casts blur and mage armor on
herself before approaching the party’s location, and imme-
diately flees in gaseous form if the PCs attack. The vampire
spawn fight for a few rounds to cover Sasha’s retreat, then
assume gaseous form themselves and follow their mistress
back to the castle.
For more information about Sasha, including her statistics
block, see the description of Crypt 20 in area K84, page 123,
and the associated tactical encounter on page 190.
STRAHD
If Strahd spies personally on the PCs, he assumes one of his
animalforms(seepage7)andtravelswithagroupofthesame
kind. The animals behave as described above, with Strahd
blendinginasone of the pack. Ifcombatensues, Strahdjoins
in until he is seriously threatened, then flees.
If Strahd takes bat form and joins a swarm of bats, he is
indistinguishable from the other members of the swarm. He
cannot be targeted separately unless the attacker uses detect
undead or some similar means to pinpoint Strahd’s location
among the other bats. He
shares the swarm’s space but
makeshisownsavingthrows
againstareaattacksthataffect
the swarm, taking damage
separately. Wind affects him
justasitdoesaflyingcreature
of his size.
STRAHD’S
GOALS
Strahd is the driving force
behind everything that goes
on in this adventure. Usu-
ally the desires of the PCs
determine what direction
they take, which of myriad
opportunities they decide
to pursue. Not so here. The
PCs come to Barovia because
Strahd wants them to. They
stay because he will not
permit them to leave.
Strahd has two goals
that drive his every action
and influence his interac-
tion with the PCs and the
village of Barovia. One is
fixed—his desire to win the
love of Ireena Kolyana. His
secondarygoalisvariableand
determined by you, the DM,
before the adventure begins.
The nature of this goal deter-
mines how and why Strahd
brings the PCs to Barovia. It
also guides his actions once
they arrive and therefore
has a dramatic impact on the
overall tone and mood of the
adventure. For this reason, you should choose a secondary
goal that interests you. However, you can also randomly
determine a goal by rolling 1d6 and consulting the follow-
ing table. (In a short adventure or a one-night session, Strahd
has no secondary goal; see page 18.) The description of each
secondary goalbelow alsodiscusses Strahd’sgeneral strategy
and the goal’s effect on the adventure’s mood.
Strahd pens a letter that purports to come from the bur-
gomaster of Barovia, which is intended to draw the PCs into
hisscheme.Choosetheappropriateversionoftheletterfrom
the Appendix, depending on whether Strahd has a second-
ary goal and what it is. Photocopy the letter and give it to the
players.
Sasha Ivliskova
Illus.byA.Stokes
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d6 Secondary Goal Letter
1 Brook No Rival A
2 Descent into Madness B
3 Strahd’s Dynasty C
4 Undead Legions D
5 Untamed Allies E
6* (no secondary goal) F
*Roll again on a result of 6 if you want to determine a
secondary goal randomly. If you are playing a situation in
which Strahd has no secondary goal, letter F is the one
the PCs receive.
BROOK NO RIVAL
Strahd seeks to destroy the coven of witches that gathers at
Lysaga Hill, and in particular its leader, the green hag Baba
Zelenna. (For more about the coven, see Chapter 3.) He
believes—rightly—that Baba Zelenna seeks to summon a
demonwhowouldchallengeStrahd’sauthorityoverBarovia.
He hopes that by luring the PCs to Barovia, he can incite
them to root out the witches. Either Baba Zelenna will come
to Strahd for help, or the PCs will destroy the hag and scatter
the coven. Strahd would be content with either outcome.
To further this goal, Strahd sends a message (letter A) to
the PCs that claims Ireena is suffering under a curse placed
by the witches. Once the PCs have arrived in Barovia and
dealt with the zombie plague, they find that Ireena has been
having bad dreams—and bears the marks of Strahd’s bite
on her neck. (They probably also discover that the letter is a
forgery, since the burgomaster has been dead for some time.)
Strahd hopes that the PCs are still curious about the witches
of Lysaga Hill. Ireena and the other villagers do believe that
the witches are a threat, and they inform the PCs that the
coven gathers on the night of the new moon every month.
If the PCs visit Lysaga Hill before the night of the new
moon, they find the ancient ruins that mark the site of the
gathering, along with the undead that haunt it, but Baba
Zelenna evades them. Should they come at the new moon,
they discover the witches in the midst of the summoning
ritual. The witches have already succeeded in conjuring an
aspect of their demon lord, and they are trying to create a
portal through which his true form can pass. If the PCs fail
topreventthis,thedemonprinceenterstheworldandmoves
toward Castle Ravenloft.
Strahd’s Strategy: As long as the PCs are working against
thewitches,theyfindunlikelyalliesintheminionsofStrahd.
Strahd’s spies do not attack or threaten them and maintain
a relatively innocuous presence. The Vistani, Varikov the
trapper, and even Strahd’s vampire servants offer informa-
tion about the witches’ gatherings. If the PCs enter Castle
Ravenloft before facing the witches, Strahd does not attack;
if the PCs find him, he tries to turn them against the coven.
He uses his dominate ability to bend as many PCs as possible
to his will. He then departs, urging the dominated characters
to leave the castle and hunt the witches.
If the PCs defeat the witches, Strahd initially views them
asuseful,ifunwitting,allies.ShouldtheyventureintoCastle
Ravenloft afterward, he appears before them personally to
thankthemfortheirhelpbutthenceforthavoidsthem.How-
ever, if the PCs strip any of his fane-signs away from him or
perform the bonding rituals for either the Sunsword or the
Holy Symbol of Ravenkind, he finally recognizes them as a
threat. At that point, he reverts to the cat-and-mouse tactics
described throughout the adventure.
Mood:Thisscenariocreatesandreinforcesamoodofinter-
nal struggle. With Strahd’s assistance, the PCs do undeniable
good by thwarting the witches’ demonic cult, but they are
simultaneously aiding an even greater evil by helping Strahd
remove a threat to his power.
DESCENT INTO MADNESS
During centuries of undeath, Strahd has grown increasingly
depravedandisnowutterlylosttomadness.Hismadnesshas
manifested as a shapeless spawn that has established itself in
Strahd’soldaudiencechamber.Thishorroristhetruemaster
of Castle Ravenloft now. Strahd does not have a specific goal
in this scenario but is engaged in crazed activities that draw
the PCs into the adventure.
Without being fully conscious of it, Strahd seeks freedom
from his madness. Such release can be accomplished only
through the death of the shapeless spawn, but neither Strahd
norhisminionscanattackthecreature.Whenhisworgspies
reportthattheburgomasterofBaroviatriedtosendamessage
outside the valley, this news triggers something in Strahd’s
demented mind. He makes up a message (letter B)—little
more than lunatic ravings—that he signs the burgomaster’s
name to and sends it out into the world. The letter lands in
the hands of the PCs.
You can make this scenario particularly effective by
adopting the taint rules in Heroes of Horror. (See the Taint,
Corruption, and Depravity sidebar.) If you are using these
rules,creatureswhogainnegativelevelsfromStrahd’senergy
drain attacks also become more depraved and time spent in
Castle Ravenloft has the same effect.
When the PCs reach Barovia and meet Ireena, they find
that—inadditiontosufferingfromStrahd’sblooddrain—she
is also slowly going mad, her mind warped by Strahd’s atten-
tions. Terrible nightmares have plagued her sleep, filled with
tentacled horrors and howling darkness. She has gained a
mild phobia of aberrations, forcing her to make a successful
Will save (DC 12 + the CR of the aberration) whenever she
encounters one, or be shaken for the duration of the encoun-
ter. (If you are using the taint rules, Ireena has a depravity
score of 4.)
pqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqrs
TAINT, CORRUPTION, AND DEPRAVITY
The Heroes of Horror supplement details optional taint rules
to increase the sense of horror. Encountering creatures tainted
by evil, or simply remaining in a defiled area, makes characters
increasingly twisted in both body and soul. The greater the taint,
the more severe its effects on the character.
Corruption emcompasses physical effects, ranging from mere
blemishes to horrific decay and mutation. Depravity describes
mental instability brought on by taint, anything from a mild
phobia to full-blown psychosis. Full details on taint, corruption,
and depravity begin on page 62 of Heroes of Horror.
Certain characters encountered in this adventure might have
corruption or depravity scores noted for campaigns that use the
taint rules.
pqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqrs
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CHAPTER1
ADVENTURESIN
RAVENLOFT
Strahd’s Strategy: The minions of Strahd behave nor-
mally,asdescribedthroughouttheadventure.Strahdhimself,
however, acts erratically. Whenever the PCs enter an area
in Castle Ravenloft in which Strahd might attack (accord-
ing to the description of the area), there is a 25% chance
he does so, regardless of other circumstances, unless he is
incapacitated.
Strahd’s tactics in battle suggest a confusion effect more
than the actions of a genius. He always directs his attacks
at the last character who dealt him damage, and he uses the
most powerful attack or special ability he can muster in each
round. He casts area spells against the target of his insane
fury, centering them on that character without regard for
how many others they can encompass in the area.
When fighting, Strahd shouts crazed exclamations. The
following are a few suggestions.
• “Iiiiiirrrrreeeeeeeennnnnnaaaaaa!”
• “The worms are creeping!”
• “I am the once lord, no longer lord.”
• “All is void and vanity.”
• “Master! I am the master!”
• “It’s so dark!”
IfStrahddoesnotattack,somethingbizarreandinexplicable
happens instead. Roll 1d10 and consult the Weird Happen-
ings table below. These events have no harmful effects on
the PCs but produce an ever more unnerving atmosphere.
If you are using the taint rules in Heroes of Horror, each PC
must make a DC 20 Will save each time a weird happening
occurs. Failing this save increases the character’s depravity
score by 1d3 points.
If the PCs find and slay the shapeless spawn in area K25A
(see the tactical encounter on page 138), Strahd begins to
regain his hold on sanity. He still behaves erratically until
the PCs find him in the room determined by the Fortunes of
Ravenloft reading. (Even if they have encountered him there
before, Strahd can always be found in this room after the
shapeless spawn’s death.) At that time, his tactics are logical
and intelligent—he even has the presence of mind to thank
the PCs for freeing him from his madness.
Mood: This scenario produces an adventure filled with
confusionandasenseofeerinessorincongruity.Beingunable
tofindthelogicorreasoninasituationcanbeahorrificexpe-
rience. In addition, if you are using the taint rules, Strahd’s
madnessspreadstothePCs.Theirincreasingdepravitycreates
a mood of growing desperation and self-loathing.
STRAHD’S DYNASTY
Strahd seeks to found a dynasty of daywalker vampires, a
network of undead spies and agents who will do his bidding,
day or night. The PCs come to his attention because of their
power: Turned to his service, they would be able minions.
In this case, Strahd’s missive (letter C) is designed to draw
the PCs directly to the castle. His servants harry them as
they move about the village and surrounding lands, trying
to drive the party in that direction.
Strahd’s Strategy: Once the PCs reach the castle, Strahd
tries to confront them one at a time and drink their blood.
(Death by energy drain creates a useless vampire spawn,
while a victim drained of blood becomes a formidable ser-
vant.) He waits until a character becomes separated from the
group within the castle, then attacks in human form. Strahd
typically begins with mind fog to weaken his target’s will and
then uses his dominate ability to subdue the PC without a
fight. If that doesn’t work, he uses any or all of deep slumber,
ray of exhaustion, and chill touch to weaken the character and
increasehisownoddsinagrapple.Ifallelsefails,Strahduses
his bead of force to restrain the character until his dominate
attempt succeeds. (Since he has only one bead of force, he saves
it for a truly desperate situation.)
Oncehemanagestoovercomehistarget,Strahdcommands
submission while he drains the dominated character dry. He
then inters the body in a crypt beneath the castle. The dead
PCanimatesasavampire1d4dayslater,unlesstheothersfirst
find the body and either destroy it or return the character to
life. Any PCs who rise as Strahd’s minions are sent against
their former companions.
Ifhemustfacetheentireparty(forexample,whenthePCs
first enter the room indicated in the Fortunes of Ravenloft
reading), Strahd leads with mind fog again, then tries deep
slumber to take at least some PCs out of the fight. He tries
to dominate all those who remain, commanding characters
who succumb to stand aside from the battle. If he manages to
overcomeastrongcombatant,suchasafighter,hecommands
that PC to grapple a spellcaster who is resisting Strahd’s will
(granting the attacker a new save with a +2 bonus).
Mood: The possibility of fellow adventurers turning
against the party, along with Strahd’s frequent attempts at
domination, contributes to a mood of betrayal and distrust.
Strahd also relies on separating and overcoming the PCs
one by one, producing a sense of isolation throughout an
adventure using this secondary goal.
Weird Happenings
d10 Effect
1 The sound of a voice screaming comes from
somewhere in the castle; it sounds exactly like one
of the PCs.
2 The area is abruptly swathed in a deeper darkness
effect centered on a random PC; the effect ends
when that PC leaves the area.
3 Every word spoken in the area is echoed in a harsh,
evil whisper.
4 The last PC to enter the room sees a large shadow
dart across the entrance behind him, but no creature
can be detected.
5 An urgent whisper repeats one PC’s name over and
over as long as any PCs remain in the area.
6 A random PC hears the soft giggling of a little girl;
no one else can hear it.
7 A PC’s holy symbol drips blood while any PCs
remain in the area. There is no evident source.
8 One of the PCs has a sudden sense of déjà vu,
believing that he has been in this place before or
perhaps dreamed it—then suddenly “remembers”
dying horribly here. He can’t remember the cause.
9 When the PCs try to leave the area, regardless of the
exit they choose, they find themselves leaving the
way they came in. If they reenter the area, roll again
for a Strahd attack or a new weird happening.
10 As the PCs enter, the area begins filling up with fog.
After 1d6 rounds, this duplicates the effect of a fog
cloud spell. If the PCs remain in the area, they begin
to see phantasms in the fog, as described in the
Mists section (page 49).
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CHAPTER1
ADVENTURESIN
RAVENLOFT
UNDEAD LEGIONS
The zombie infestation in the village of Barovia is just the
beginning. Ultimately, Strahd wants to turn every living
creature in the world into his mindless undead slave. His
only interest in the PCs is as carriers to spread the infection
to the outside world. In this situation, Strahd sends out a
message (letter D) designed to lure the PCs to Barovia for a
battle against undead.
If this is Strahd’s goal, the zombie plague in the village is
a trial run for his plans. Strahd killed Doru, the son of the
village priest, Danovich. He also made sure that Danovich
found and read a fragment from the Liber Blaspheme (see
page 214), hoping that the grief-maddened priest would use
the vile knowledge in that tome to restore his son to terrible
unlife.Allisgoingaccordingtoplan,includingtheimminent
arrival of the PCs. Only their success against the zombies is
a surprise to the vampire.
Strahd’sStrategy:AssumingthatthePCsdestroytheblas-
pheme Doru, Strahd turns his full attention to transforming
the party into the epicenter of a new outbreak of his plague.
Outsidethecastle,hisservantskeepaclosewatchonthePCs
and drive them to seek out their master in his home. Once
thePCsenterthecastle,Strahd’stacticsaresimpleandbrutal.
HeattackswheneverthePCsenteraroominwhichhemight
be encountered, unless he is currently too weak from his
last battle with them. Each time, he is accompanied by two
infected Strahd zombies, which combine the virulent conta-
gionwiththeextraordinaryresilienceofthesenewcreations.
All other Strahd zombies encountered in the castle carry the
infection as well. Strahd hopes that the PCs will contract the
necromantic disease and spread it beyond Barovia.
If the PCs return to the village after entering the castle,
they find a renewal of the zombie plague, albeit diminished
from its earlier level. (Reuse zombie encounters in the vil-
lage as you see fit.) Each time they return to the village, they
discover that a villager who was helpful to them on their last
visithasbecomeazombie.Eventually,evenIsmark,sonofthe
lateburgomaster,fallstotheplague.OnlyStrahd’sdestruction
can put an end to the zombie attacks.
Mood:Theseeminglyunstoppablezombieplague,spread-
ing to people the PCs care about, lends a mood of spiraling
despair to this scenario. The players should have a sense of
racing against time, as the PCs try to destroy Strahd before
he transforms the entire village into zombies.
Infected Strahd Zombie CR 2
HP 42 ______________________________________________________
NE Medium undead
Init +0; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Listen +0, Spot +0
AC 16, touch 10, flat-footed 16
(+6 natural)
HD 6; DR 5/slashing
Immune undead immunities
Resist hard to kill
Fort +2, Ref +2, Will +5
Speed 30 ft. (6 squares, can’t run)
Melee slam +6 (1d6+4 plus disease)
Base Atk +3; Grp +6
Atk Options disease
Abilities Str 17, Dex 10, Con —, Int —, Wis 10, Cha 10
SQ hard to kill, plodding, undead traits
Feats Toughness
Skills Listen +0, Spot +0
Disease (Su) Necromantic infection—slam, Fort DC 13
negates, incubation period instant, damage sickened/—.
An infected creature that drops to –1 hit points or fewer,
or that dies, rises as an infected zombie in 1d4+1 rounds
unless properly treated (see the sidebar on page 29).
Hard to Kill (Ex) Whenever a Strahd zombie would take
enough damage from a melee or ranged attack to be
destroyed, roll 1d20. On a result of 11 or higher, the
zombie ignores all damage that would reduce its hit
points below 1.
Plodding (Ex) Zombies can move and attack, but they can
not move more than their speed (6 squares) on their
action, and they cannot charge.
UNTAMED ALLIES
ThewerewolvesoftheSvalichWoodsdonotworkforStrahd,
thoughtheydonotopposehim.Strahdconsidersthemallies,
buthewouldliketomakethemhisservants.IfthisisStrahd’s
goal, he entices the PCs to Barovia with a written message
(letter E) describing the recent werewolf attacks.
ThewerewolveshavenoinclinationtorebelagainstStrahd.
They have been particularly active recently, having attacked
thevillageseveraltimesintheweekortwobeforethezombie
problem began. (Having no desire to be transformed into
mindless undead monstrosities, the werewolves keep clear
of the village as long as the zombie outbreak remains.)
Once the PCs arrive and have dealt with the zombies, the
villagers describe the monstrous wolf attacks that preceded
the plague, only the latest in a series of misfortunes. Should
the PCs observe the wounds on Ireena’s neck, they can rec-
ognize them as unlike wolf bites—and Ireena denies having
been attacked by a lycanthrope. (They probably also discover
that the letter is a forgery, since the burgomaster has been
dead for some time.) However, Strahd hopes that the PCs are
still inclined to deal with the problem of the werewolves. If
they begin a serious effort to fight the beasts, the PCs might
have to appeal to Strahd for aid.
Strahd’s Strategy: If the PCs start hunting werewolves
in the Svalich Woods, the werewolves retaliate with a brutal
attack upon the village while the party is away. At the same
time, the werewolves entreat Strahd for assistance, which he
grants in exchange for an oath of loyalty from their leader,
the corrupted nymph Valicia. (See encounter C3: Nymph
Hideaway, page 68.) Strahd sends his minions into the woods
to help the werewolves. The tactical encounters C1, C2, and
C3 in Chapter 3 include notes about Strahd’s servants, who
are present only in this circumstance.
Should the PCs defeat the werewolves and make their way
to Castle Ravenloft, Strahd attacks them ferociously. He is
furiousatthelossofsuchvaluableservants,andheslaughters
any villagers he suspects of assisting the PCs.
Mood: Thesavageandbloodthirstywerewolvesmakethis
scenario similar to modern horror films. The violence of
these encounters, and the shock of the slaughter in the vil-
lage, defines the tone of the adventure. That mood continues
even after the PCs have dealt with the werewolves and enter
the castle. Once Strahd begins to murder the villagers, the
survivors refuse to speak to the party, adding a sense of isola-
tion to the mix.
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CHAPTER1
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Adventure OptionsYou’re holding a 224-page book in your hands, and that’s a
lot of adventure material. To make this book as useful to
you as possible, this section presents several options for
using the encounters in the way that best suits you, from
one night of horrific adventure to a minicampaign lasting
for months.
One of the amazing things about the original Ravenloft
module is that its fans never grew tired of running or play-
ing in it. Thanks to the random element of the Fortunes of
Ravenloft, the adventure was different every time, and we’ve
tried to replicate that replayability. Even if you play the entire
minicampaign, there will likely be some encounter sites
that you don’t use, treasures the PCs don’t find, plans Strahd
never has a chance to execute. You can flesh these out into
later adventures (perhaps increasing the EL of encounters
to challenge more experienced PCs), or even build a new
campaign featuring Strahd, returned from apparent death,
threatening the world with a new scheme.
The nonlinear nature of this adventure means its encoun-
ters are largely self-contained, a feature that encourages
“plundering.” If you like a given tactical encounter, you
can drop it in almost as written into a different adven-
ture, or string several encounters together into your own
storyline.
These ideas are a starting point. What you do from here
makes Expedition to Castle Ravenloft your own.
MINICAMPAIGN
This model uses all the material in this book to form a
minicampaign lasting around fifteen to twenty sessions,
or roughly five months of real time (assuming you play
weekly). The PCs come to Barovia at Strahd’s invitation
and remain there for weeks, exploring the lands surround-
ing the village before attempting an assault on the castle
itself. The entire adventure contains enough encounters
and treasure for characters to advance from 6th level to 9th
level by its conclusion.
The minicampaign takes place in three acts that roughly
correspond to the next three chapters of this book. Act I
takes place in the village of Barovia, Act II in the surround-
ing wilderness, and Act III in Castle Ravenloft itself. The
order of the PCs’ explorations, however, is fluid. They might
spend time in the wilderness in both Acts I and II, they’re
likely to return to the village repeatedly, and they might
enter Castle Ravenloft one or more times during Act II.
As a minicampaign, Expedition to Castle Ravenloft can be
demanding: The DM must maintain a sense of horror and
dread over a long period, while the players must take the
initiative to seek out clues and information that helps their
characters rid Barovia of Strahd.
PROLOGUE
Tostarttheadventure,thePCsreceivealetter,ostensiblyfrom
the burgomaster of Barovia. Combined with other rumors
and information, this letter brings them to Strahd’s domain
and plants the seeds of their adventure. The nature of the
letter depends on Strahd’s secondary goal, if any.
ACT I: INAUSPICIOUS START
Uponarriving,thePCsfindthevillageofBaroviaundersiege
from a sudden zombie infestation. To make things worse,
anyone infected by zombies becomes a zombie if killed or
severelyinjured.ThePCsarecalledontoquelltheincursion,
if only to save themselves. Over the course of approximately
threesessionsofplay,theyfightthezombies(withthehelpof
a band of zombie-hunting mercenaries), encounter the new
burgomaster and learn of the death of his father, and meet
Ireena Kolyana, the object of Strahd’s monstrous obsession.
Finally, they track the source of the zombie scourge to the
church and the village priest, driven to madness by the death
of his son. These encounters and events appear in Chapter
2, along with descriptions of the people and locations in the
village of Barovia.
During their adventures in Barovia, the PCs discover a
number of leads pointing to various locations around the
countryside. The Vistani in the village suggest having their
fortunes told at the Tser Pool encampment. Ireena tells the
PCs about the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind, a powerful defense
against Strahd. One of the mercenaries has a notebook that
describes the Sunsword, a legendary weapon she has been
seeking to aid her fight against the undead. The villagers
speak of witches and werewolves that haunt the surrounding
wilderness.AndfromthejournalofthemadpriestDanovich,
they can learn of the Tome of Strahd, a book in Ravenloft’s
library that illuminates some of the vampire’s weaknesses. If
nothing else, the PCs have a clue in the letter they received
from Count Strahd. Any or all of these clues might lead the
PCs into the events of Act II.
ACT II: ILL FORTUNES
AtthestartofActII,thePCsshouldbefollowingseverallines
of investigation. Only one advances the storyline, though:
visiting the Tser Pool encampment. There, Madam Eva can
read the PCs’ fortunes and give veiled hints about the other
informationtheyseek.(SeetheFortunesofRavenloftsection
on page 56.) The PCs might decide to follow clues on their
own, and even learn some important details, but any Vistani
they encounter become increasingly insistent that Madam
Eva is expecting them at the encampment. If the PCs set off
without having their fortunes told first, you’ll have to deal
and interpret the cards secretly.
ReadingtheFortunesofRavenloftrevealsimportantclues
about where the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind and the Sunsword
can be found, and how to awaken the powers of both of these
legacy items. The fortune-telling also reveals where to find
the Tome of Strahd.The results of the reading randomly deter-
mine these details: The items might lie hidden within Castle
Ravenloftorsomewhereinthesurroundingwilderness.The
fortune-tellingalsogivesthePCssomeinformationaboutthe
secondary goals of Strahd, to assist them in their eventual
showdownwiththevampire.Finally,thelayofthecardscasts
omensabouttheirpath,whichtranslateintocombatpenalties
and bonuses within certain areas of Castle Ravenloft.
Armed with these clues, the PCs can track down the Holy
Symbol and the Sunsword. Acquiring the legacy items, and
awakening their powers, is central to the adventure. The
Tome of Strahd reveals that some of Strahd’s power derives
from his connection to the land of Barovia itself; severing
this connection will weaken him further.
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CHAPTER1
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RAVENLOFT
Astheypursuetheseleads,thePCsmustdealwiththedanger-
ousinhabitantsoftheregion,includingthewerewolvesofthe
SvalichWoods,Varikovthecrazedtrapper,andthethreehags.
TheirinvestigationsmightalsobringthePCsintothecastle—
where an attack by the count himself should drive home the
messagethattheymustbeadequatelypreparedbeforetheycan
hopetodefeatStrahd.Wildernessencountersaredescribedin
Chapter 3, and Chapter 4 details Castle Ravenloft.
ACT III: THE FACE OF EVIL
OncethePCsarearmedwiththeHolySymbolofRavenkindand
theSunsword,andtheyhavecutoffStrahd’sconnectiontothe
land, they are as prepared to face the vampire as they’re ever
likely to be. By this time, they should be at or near 9th level,
whichshouldenablethemtoexploreCastleRavenloftandulti-
matelychallengeCountStrahdvonZarovich.Inordertomake
best use of the Sunsword, however, the PCs must first destroy
the Dayheart, which gives Strahd immunity to sunlight.
Madam Eva’s fortune-telling determines where this final
showdown will take place—the one spot from which Strahd
will not flee a battle that turns against him. If Strahd is to be
truly defeated, however, the PCs must venture into his crypt
far beneath the castle to find his body and destroy it utterly.
LONG ADVENTURE
If you’d rather not sidetrack your entire campaign for several
months, you can select some elements of the minicampaign
to put together a long adventure lasting about eight sessions.
In this model, Strahd starts off a little weaker—he lacks his
legacy abilities from his connection to the land, so the PCs
do not have to discover the Tome of Strahd and visit the three
wilderness fanes. Other than that fact, the general outline of
the adventure remains the same as described above. Strahd
still has a secondary goal.
Because the PCs do not have as much opportunity to
gain experience before facing Strahd, they should begin at
7th level. This makes their encounters in the village easier,
which also speeds their progress toward the castle and the
final confrontation with Strahd.
SHORT ADVENTURE
If you so desire, you can truncate the adventure even fur-
ther, so that it takes about four sessions to play through.
In this model, the PCs need to find or awaken only one of
the two legacy items. They do not need to destroy the Day-
heart—Strahd has not yet managed to draw on its power to
ward himself from sunlight.
If you use this model, the PCs should begin at 8th level in
order to have a chance against Strahd by the climax. Strahd
has only a single goal in the short adventure.
SESSION 1: WELCOME TO BAROVIA
As in the minicampaign, the PCs receive a letter from Strahd
tobegintheadventure.TheyarriveinBaroviaanddiscoverthe
zombieinfestation.Inthismodel,thePCsspendlesstimecom-
bating the zombies: Ashlyn and her comrades have had some
success already, and have already found clues pointing to the
village church as the source of the infection. The PCs should
haveonegoodfightinthestreetsofthevillage(youmightneed
to increase the numbers or strength of the opponents) before
entering the church to find Danovich and the blaspheme.
TheylearnoftheexistenceofboththeSunsword(fromAshlyn)
and the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind (from Ismark and Ireena),
although they need find only one of the items. Danovich’s
library contains no mention of the Tome of Strahd.
SESSION 2: GETTING AT THE ROOT
Time is of the essence—you might have to tell the players
outright that visiting the Tser Pool encampment is the most
expeditious way to learn more. Madam Eva reads the PCs’
fortunes, but she does not deal a focus card for the Tome of
Strahd. She provides information about only one of the two
legacy items—the other, she says, is “hidden in shadow.”
Armed with information from Madam Eva, the PCs strike
out to a single wilderness fane (you decide which one) to
recover the legacy item. Their assault on the castle has a
specific room as their objective—the place where they can
awaken the item they have retrieved.
SESSION 3:
ENTERING THE CASTLE
The PCs brave the castle gates and make their way into
Strahd’s home, seeking to awaken the hidden powers of the
legacy item. Their first encounter with Strahd occurs in the
dining hall as normal (see encounter area K10 on page 132)
and ends with either the PCs or the vampire fleeing. The PCs
find the room in which to perform the ritual and arm them-
selves with one effective weapon against the vampire.
SESSION 4: DEFEATING STRAHD
Readyforthefinalconfrontation,thePCsexploretherestofthe
castle until they encounter Strahd again in the room foretold
by the Fortunes of Ravenloft. This time the vampire does not
flee.Assumingtheywinthebattle,thePCsmuststillventure
into the crypts to prevent Strahd from ever returning.
ONE-NIGHT SESSION
Perhaps you want to observe Halloween in classic style by
takingabreakfromyourregularcampaignandventuringinto
CastleRavenloft.Oryoujustneedtofillanightofadventuring.
In that case, you can select material from this book to build
one long session that comprises five or six encounters.
For a one-night session, the characters should be about
9th level. They bypass most of Barovia and the surrounding
lands, heading straight to the castle. In this model, Strahd
hasneitherhisfane-signsnorimmunitytosunlight.ThePCs
do not have time to acquire either the Holy Symbol of Raven-
kind or the Sunsword, so they must rely entirely on their own
abilities. The Fortunes of Ravenloft do not come into play in
this short session, and Strahd has no secondary goal.
INTRODUCTION:
THE VILLAGE OF BAROVIA
As in the minicampaign, the PCs receive a letter from Strahd
to begin the adventure. In this scenario, the village of Baro-
via is entirely free of zombies. The PCs quickly meet Ismark
and Ireena, and Ireena pleads with them to destroy Strahd
before he can finish what he has begun and make her his
vampire bride.
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CHAPTER1
ADVENTURESIN
RAVENLOFT
ADVENTURE: CASTLE RAVENLOFT
The PCs enter the castle. Strahd attacks immediately after
theirfirstcombatencounterandfightsthemjustlongenough
to get their measure. He launches his next attack at what he
feels is the most advantageous moment, and this time he
fights to the death. Allow the PCs to explore the castle freely
for most of the time allotted for your session. Then have Strahd
attack about an hour before you want to end the game.
Simply defeating Strahd in combat is a significant accom-
plishment, and you can end the adventure at that point if you
desire. Alternatively, the PCs can descend into the crypts to
find Strahd’s tomb and destroy him utterly, but that has the
potential to expand the adventure beyond a single session.
ADVENTURE HOOKS
CharacterscouldbecomeentangledinStrahd’smachinations
through a wide variety of methods. The adventure works
best if the PCs have at least two distinct reasons to visit Baro-
via—in addition to feeling properly motivated, they’ll have
plenty of questions to ask once they arrive.
Regardless of the length of the adventure or Strahd’s sec-
ondary goals, one hook is always the letter purporting to be
from the village’s burgomaster. (See Letter from Barovia,
page 21.) If you are running Expedition to Castle Ravenloft as
a one-night session, this alone should be enough to draw the
PCs to Barovia—you don’t want them wasting time chasing
down other leads. For longer adventures, choose at least one
hook from the options presented below (or create one of your
own, drawing on these for inspiration).
SMUGGLERS’ DEN
A constable, duty collector, or other official in one of the
regions near Barovia asks the PCs to help root out a group of
smugglers operating in the area. The nature of this official’s
concern is up to you to determine: She might be pursuing
them for evading duties on luxury goods (such as fine wine
or rich cloth), be outraged because they are supplying weap-
ons to bandits or insurgents, or be trying to locate a stolen
treasure. Evidence provided by the official or rooted out by
the PCs points to the valley of Barovia—conveniently situ-
ated outside the jurisdiction of any larger government—as
thesmugglers’headquarters.Theofficial believes the human
and halfling “gypsies” who travel throughout the region are
transporting the contraband goods.
GRIEF’S PLEA
The PCs encounter Helene Maurgen, the grieving wife of an
adventurer who was last seen entering Barovia three months
ago,armedwithsilversheenandwolfsbane.ShebegsthePCsto
find her husband, or at least his body. If he is dead, she would
like them to return his wedding ring to her as a memento.
This lost adventurer, Jeref Maurgen, is now a trophy in the
cavern home of Varikov the trapper (see encounter area H2
on page 82). Jeref had been hunting werewolves at the outer
edge of the Svalich Woods, and came home to stock up on
silversheenbeforefightingthebeasts.Varikovfoundandkilled
him first.
SEARCH FOR THE SUNSWORD
In response to the threat of a powerful undead creature
(whichcouldbeotherthanStrahd),thePCsmustseekoutthe
legendary Sunsword. The mighty weapon disappeared from
knowledgecenturiesago,butthePCs’researchindicatesthat
it was last used in the remote mountain valley of Barovia.
CALL OF THE LIGHTBRINGERS
ThishookworkswellifanyofthePCshaveadoptedaprestige
class focused oncombating the undead, suchasthe hunterof
the dead (Complete Warrior), master of radiance (Libris Mortis),
radiant servant of Pelor (Complete Divine), or sacred purifier
(LibrisMortis),orifthepartyincludesaclericofPelororother
devotee of that god. An organization known as the Light-
bringers, dedicated to fighting the undead, sends out a call
for help—a call that reaches the PCs’ ears. (See the Appendix
for more about the Lightbringers organization.) A group of
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DEALING WITH DEATH
Expedition to Castle Ravenloft is a dangerous adventure, and one
or more PCs might well die over its course. If the characters are
lucky, their friends are merely dead; if things go poorly, former
allies might become vampire slaves of Count Strahd. Barovia
is isolated and the village cleric, in addition to being only 5th
level, is entirely mad. Thus, the characters probably do not have
access to resurrection magic (unless their own cleric reaches 9th
level by the end of the adventure). How, then, should you deal
with dead characters—and, more to the point, their players?’
A few NPCs could make good replacements for fallen char-
acters. These include Ashlyn the Lightbringer (whose statistics
appear in tactical encounter E3, page 36), Sir Urik (tactical
encounter F, page 74), and possibly even Ireena Kolyana (entry
E11, page 30). All three of these characters have equipment
appropriate to PCs of their level—though Ireena starts with
a handicap, in that she has already failed her saving throw
against Strahd’s dominate ability and lost some Constitution to
his blood drain.
Of course, you can also allow players of dead PCs to bring new
characters into the adventure. A new character should start at
the beginning of the level one below that of the dead character
(DMG 42); for example, if a 7th-level character dies, the new
character should start at the beginning of 6th level. You should
choose a suitable adventure hook to draw that character to
Barovia (see Adventure Options on page 17), which can be the
same as the original one or a new one. (A new hook is useful
if the PCs are floundering and could use a new direction to ex-
plore.) Alternatively, the new character’s previous adventuring
companions all met horrible ends, and she barely managed to
stagger into Barovia with her life.
If a PC is transformed into a vampire, it’s best to take over that
character as an NPC and let the player create a new one. Another
possibility—especially effective in a one-night session—is to let
the player join you on the other side of the screen, roleplaying
the new vampire’s service to Strahd against her former allies.
This approach enhances the mood of horror by creating a sense
of growing isolation in the remaining players’ minds. On the
other hand, it contributes to an antagonistic relationship be-
tween the DM and the players, which is not a good dynamic for
an ongoing campaign.
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20
CHAPTER1
ADVENTURESIN
RAVENLOFT
Lightbringers journeyed to Barovia, where they found the
village plagued by zombies. The leader of this expedition, a
paladin named Ashlyn, sent a message to her Lightbringer
superiors asking for reinforcements.
RACE TO THE TOME
If Expedition to Castle
Ravenloft takes place in
the EBERRON™ setting,
consider using this hook instead of or in addition to any of
the others included here. “Race to the Tome” adds a layer of
Eberron-flavored intrigue to the adventure.
The PCs learn of an ancient tome of lore dating from
the early days of Karrnath, in the years of Karrn’s conquest
leading up to the formation of Galifar. Besides its obvious
historical value, this volume—the Tome of Strahd—is said to
contain necromantic secrets unknown to modern spellcast-
ers. Such knowledge is certain to be attractive to the Order
of the Emerald Claw. Evidence points to the tome being
somewhere in Barovia, a small valley nestled between the
civilized heart of Karrnath and the forbidding mountains
of the Mror Holds.
ThePCsmightlearnoftheTomeofStrahdontheirownand
seekitout,orsomepatron(suchasaknightoftheSilverFlame,
a disguised dragon of the Chamber, a wealthy member of the
Aurum, or an agent of the Emerald Claw) might hire them to
findit.Enemiesarealsoafterthetome—mostlikelyagentsof
the Emerald Claw, but possibly of another organization that
better suits your campaign. Example opponents include the
Emerald Claw necromancer Demise (at 8th level) or Halas
Martainthemercenary(at9thlevel);thesecharactersarepre-
sented on pages 252–253 of the EBERRON CAMPAIGN SETTING.
See the Action Points in Ravenloft sidebar for information
about adjusting the adventure for an EBERRON campaign.
RELICS OF THE MORNINGLORD
If Expedition to Castle
Ravenloft takes place in
theFORGOTTEN REALMS™
setting, consider using this hook instead of or in addition to
any of the others included here. “Relics of the Morninglord”
ties the adventure more closely to the people and places of
Faerûn.
An earnest young priest of Lathander contacts the PCs.
Gevyen Tallmer is a scholar, not an adventurer: A 5th-level
cleric (or at least one level below the lowest-level PC in
the party), he has more knowledge of ancient texts than
contemporary monsters. His field of study is relics of the
Morninglord, and he believes he has stumbled across an
important text. According to Gevyen’s research, a small
sect of Lathander’s church is active in a remote region of
Damara, largely isolated from the rest of the world. This
sect is served by a small priesthood and two slightly larger
orders, the Ecaterine monks and the Knights of the Raven.
The short passage Gevyen discovered mentions three holy
shrines dedicated to saints of Lathander in the same remote
region,aswellastwopowerfulartifacts.Oneisaholysymbol
that shines like the sun, and the other is said to be the first
sun blade.
Gevyen’s proposition is fairly straightforward: The road
to Damara is long and dangerous, and he seeks an escort of
powerful adventurers. His destination is Barovia, a small
realm nestled in the eastern reaches of the Galena Moun-
tains, a few days’ journey from Ironspur. The priest doesn’t
anticipate any trouble once he reaches the remote valley.
NEXUS OF SHADOW
Forarealtwist,ExpeditiontoCastleRavenloft
can be a horrific experience for a group of
d20 MODERN™ characters. Most of the pre-
cedinghooksworkjustaswellinamodern
setting as they do in a traditional D&D
setting. Consider using this hook if your
campaign has the PCs investigating para-
normal phenomena, such as in the SHADOW CHASERS model
or the URBAN ARCANA™ Campaign Setting.
The PCs learn of a remote European castle that is said to
be haunted. In contrast to most such stories, however, none
of the rumors about this place deal with events inside the
castle—rather,thetalegoes,noonehasenteredandsurvived
to tell about it. So great is the evil of this place that it extends
beyondthecastlewallstoencompassthesurroundingvalley.
Monstrous wolves, ghostly spirits, giant bats, and bestial
ogres are said to terrorize the area, known as Barovia, tucked
away in an isolated part of eastern Europe. If the PCs work
for Department-7 or a similar organization, they are sent to
investigate this mysterious castle; otherwise, they learn of it
during their own investigations.
Depending on the nature of your campaign, you might
want to downplay the nonhuman humanoids in the adven-
ture. When an encounter describes halfling Vistani, use the
human Vistani statistics instead. The elf werewolves in the
Svalich Woods use the statistics presented but appear more
human, though slightly feral. Similarly, Varikov looks more
or less human (if short and stocky), but his statistics are
unchanged.
See the Action Points in Ravenloft sidebar for information
about adjusting the adventure for a d20 MODERN campaign.
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ACTION POINTS IN RAVENLOFT
In an EBERRON or d20 MODERN campaign, having a pool of action
points might diminish the sense of horror in this adventure,
since the element of risk is less. To restore a mood of dread,
a special rule applies to the use of action points within Castle
Ravenloft. Whenever a PC spends an action point for a bonus
on a d20 roll but still fails the check, Strahd immediately gains
1 action point. If the PCs are fighting Strahd when this occurs,
the corners of his mouth twist into a wicked smile. The fol-
lowing readaloud text conveys the sense that something is
terribly wrong.
You make a heroic effort, but luck still fails you.
A chill passes briefly through your body.
Strahd begins with 5 action points. Action points “stolen”
from PCs can raise his total without limit. Strahd can spend
action points just as characters can—and he does so freely,
knowing that his supply will quickly be replenished.
Action points spent outside Castle Ravenloft cannot trans-
fer to Strahd. Only within the castle can he benefit from the ill
luck of others.
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21
CHAPTER1
ADVENTURESIN
RAVENLOFT
LETTER FROM BAROVIA
However you get them to travel to Barovia, once the PCs are
on their way, use Strahd’s letter to further draw them into
the adventure. The letter is ostensibly from the burgomaster
of Barovia, Kolyan Indirovich.
Roughly a day’s travel from the village, the party comes
upontheWearyHorseInn,aroadsidehostelwhosecommon
roomhosts patrons fromthe sparselypopulated countryside.
Whether the PCs stay there for the night or stop in briefly
for a meal or information, a messenger from Barovia finds
them there and delivers the letter. If they continue past the
inn without stopping, the messenger runs out and calls out
to them to stop. The following readaloud text assumes that
the PCs are dining in the common room of the inn.
With the dying of daylight, a fog creeps across the
land, clutching everything in its clammy grasp. Inside
the Weary Horse Inn, though, the fire is warm
enough, and if the few patrons are sullen and stare at
you a little boldly, at least the food and drink are good.
For an inn’s common room, it’s quiet. It holds no
more than a handful of customers. They keep their
voices low, and even the clink of their mugs seems
subdued as the fog gathers outside. When the door
swings open, every head turns to see who has arrived.
This new arrival loudly stamps the mud off his
boots in the doorway, then strides confidently over,
throwing a letter down on the table in front of you.
“The village of Barovia is in need of heroes,” he says
in a thick accent. “You’ll do as well as any.” Without
another word, he turns to leave.
The messenger is a human Vistani (see page 76). If the PCs
stop him to ask questions, he offers little more information.
He can be persuaded to add the following details but refuses
to answer questions about himself or the other Vistani.
• “Barovia lies to the west, a full day’s ride from here. You
would do well to leave at first light. They say the Svalich
Woods are not safe at night.”
• “The letter is from the burgomaster. That is all I know.”
• “My journeys take me through Barovia, but I do not live
there. The villagers’ troubles are not my troubles. They pay
me to find them heroes, and that is what I have done.”
The Vistani’s directions are accurate. The Weary Horse Inn
stands about 30 miles from the village of Barovia. At a speed
of 40 feet, a traveler requires almost 8 hours to cover that
distance; unencumbered light horses can make the journey
in about 5 hours.
Barovia and
Castle RavenloftThe map on page 54 gives an overview of the village and
lands of Barovia, which are detailed in the following chap-
ters. Chapter 2 describes encounters in the village (area E
on the overview map), while Chapter 3 covers encounters in
the surrounding areas (areas C, D, F, G, H, and I). Chapter
4 describes Castle Ravenloft itself (areas J and K).
The PCs approach the village of Barovia along the Old
Svalich Road (area A on the overview map). Assuming they
stick to the road, the gates of Barovia welcome them (area
B on the overview map).
A. Old Svalich Road
Black pools of water stand like dark mirrors about
the muddy roadway. A pall of thick, cold mist
spreads over the ground. Giant tree trunks stand
guard on both sides of the road, their branches
clawing at the mists. In every direction the fog
grows thicker and the forest seems more
oppressive.
The road seems threatening but is actually quite safe.
Strahd’s servants do not generally venture beyond the gates
of Barovia, so the PCs do not have any significant encoun-
ters along the way.
B. Gates of Barovia
Gray in the fog, high stone pillars loom up from
the impenetrable woods on both sides of the road.
Huge iron gates hang from the stonework, dew
clinging to their rusting bars. Standing before the
pillars are two stone statues of armed guardians
with wicked polearms. Their carved heads lie
among the weeds at their feet, neatly broken from
the stone shoulders.
If the PCs approach within 50 feet from the outside, the
gates screech open slowly. After the PCs pass through (or
retreat to a distance greater than 50 feet), the gates close
again with a loud clang. Approaching from the Barovia
side does not cause the gates to open, and in fact they are
difficult (Strength DC 28) to force open from that side.
Characters can circle around the gates to leave Barovia if
they wish, although they might have to contend with the
mists (see page 49).
The Tome of StrahdThe Tome of Strahd is an ancient work penned by Strahd him-
self. It is a tragic tale of how Strahd came to his fallen state,
blurring into a nightmarish raving about the power he has
since acquired. The book is bound in a thick black leather
cover with brass hinges and fastenings. The pages are made
of parchment and are very brittle. The language is Common,
but the handwriting is small, cramped, and difficult to read.
Stainsandagehavemademuchofthebookentirelyillegible.
Characters can make out the text presented on the following
page, but the remainder of the book is beyond deciphering.
Madam Eva’s reading of the Fortunes of Ravenloft (see
page 56) determines the actual location of the Tome of Strahd
in the course of the adventure.
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22
CHAPTER1
ADVENTURESIN
RAVENLOFT
I am the Ancient, I am the Land. My beginnings are lost in the darkness of the past. I was the warrior, I was good andI am the Ancient, I am the Land. My beginnings are lost in the darkness of the past. I was the warrior, I was good and
just. I thundered across the land like the wrath of a just god, but the war years and the killing years wore down myjust. I thundered across the land like the wrath of a just god, but the war years and the killing years wore down my
soul as the wind wears stone into sand.soul as the wind wears stone into sand.
All goodness slipped from my life; I found my youth and strength gone, and all I had left was death. My armyAll goodness slipped from my life; I found my youth and strength gone, and all I had left was death. My army
settled in the valley of Barovia and took power over the people in the name of a just god, but with none of a god’ssettled in the valley of Barovia and took power over the people in the name of a just god, but with none of a god’s
grace or justice.grace or justice.
I called for my family, long unseated from their ancient thrones, and brought them here to settle in the castleI called for my family, long unseated from their ancient thrones, and brought them here to settle in the castle
Ravenloft. They came with a younger brother of mine, Sergei. He was handsome and youthful. I hated him for both.Ravenloft. They came with a younger brother of mine, Sergei. He was handsome and youthful. I hated him for both.
From the families of the valley, one spirit shone above all others. A rare beauty, who was called “perfection,” “joy,”From the families of the valley, one spirit shone above all others. A rare beauty, who was called “perfection,” “joy,”
and “treasure.” Her name was Tatyana, and I longed for her to be mine.and “treasure.” Her name was Tatyana, and I longed for her to be mine.
I loved her with all my heart. I loved her for her youth. I loved her for her joy. But she spurned me! “Old One” wasI loved her with all my heart. I loved her for her youth. I loved her for her joy. But she spurned me! “Old One” was
my name to her—“elder” and “brother” also. Her heart went to Sergei. They were betrothed. The date was set.my name to her—“elder” and “brother” also. Her heart went to Sergei. They were betrothed. The date was set.
With words she called me “brother,” but when I looked into her eyes they reflected another name—“death.”With words she called me “brother,” but when I looked into her eyes they reflected another name—“death.”
It was the death of the aged that she saw in me. She loved her youth and enjoyed it. But I had squandered mine.It was the death of the aged that she saw in me. She loved her youth and enjoyed it. But I had squandered mine.
The death she saw in me turned her from me. And so I came to hate death, my death. My hate is very strong;The death she saw in me turned her from me. And so I came to hate death, my death. My hate is very strong;
I would not be called “death” so soon.I would not be called “death” so soon.
I made a pact with death, a pact of blood. On the day of the wedding, I killed Sergei, my brother. My pact wasI made a pact with death, a pact of blood. On the day of the wedding, I killed Sergei, my brother. My pact was
sealed with his blood.sealed with his blood.
I found Tatyana weeping in the garden east of the chapel. She fled from me. She would not let me explain, and aI found Tatyana weeping in the garden east of the chapel. She fled from me. She would not let me explain, and a
great anger swelled within me. She had to understand the pact I made for her. I pursued her. Finally, in despair, shegreat anger swelled within me. She had to understand the pact I made for her. I pursued her. Finally, in despair, she
flung herself from the walls of Ravenloft, and I watched everything I ever wanted fall from my grasp forever.flung herself from the walls of Ravenloft, and I watched everything I ever wanted fall from my grasp forever.
It was a thousand feet through the mists. No trace of her was ever found. Not even I know her final fate.It was a thousand feet through the mists. No trace of her was ever found. Not even I know her final fate.
Arrows from the castle guards pierced me to my soul, but I did not die. Nor did I live. I became undead, forever.Arrows from the castle guards pierced me to my soul, but I did not die. Nor did I live. I became undead, forever.
I have studied much since then. “Vampyr” is my new name. I still lust for life and youth, and I curse the livingI have studied much since then. “Vampyr” is my new name. I still lust for life and youth, and I curse the living
that took them from me. Even the sun is against me. It is the sun and light I fear the most. But little else can harmthat took them from me. Even the sun is against me. It is the sun and light I fear the most. But little else can harm
me now. Even a stake through my heart does not kill me, though it holds me from movement. But the sword, thatme now. Even a stake through my heart does not kill me, though it holds me from movement. But the sword, that
cursed sword that Sergei brought! I must dispose of that awful tool! I fear and hate it as much as the sun.cursed sword that Sergei brought! I must dispose of that awful tool! I fear and hate it as much as the sun.
I have learned much, too, about this land of Barovia. Ancient are its ways, ancient beyond the knowledge of theI have learned much, too, about this land of Barovia. Ancient are its ways, ancient beyond the knowledge of the
simple folk of the valley. I have walked the ancient ways, secret roads linking three fanes of might, and thus I havesimple folk of the valley. I have walked the ancient ways, secret roads linking three fanes of might, and thus I have
become the Land.become the Land.
Three ancient saints dwelt in this valley long before my coming, and three hidden fanes still give tribute to theirThree ancient saints dwelt in this valley long before my coming, and three hidden fanes still give tribute to their
memories. I visited the Swamp Fane, the Forest Fane, and the Mountain Fane, and claimed their power for my own.memories. I visited the Swamp Fane, the Forest Fane, and the Mountain Fane, and claimed their power for my own.
Thus I solidified my grasp on this dim shadow of life.Thus I solidified my grasp on this dim shadow of life.
I made the fanes my own, and I have become the Land. Also I made the fane-servants my own, and they nowI made the fanes my own, and I have become the Land. Also I made the fane-servants my own, and they now
serve me as once they served the saints of the fanes.serve me as once they served the saints of the fanes.
I have often hunted for Tatyana. I have even felt her within my grasp, but she escapes. She taunts me! She tauntsI have often hunted for Tatyana. I have even felt her within my grasp, but she escapes. She taunts me! She taunts
me! What will it take to bend her love to me?me! What will it take to bend her love to me?
I now reside far below Ravenloft. I live among the dead and sleep beneath the very stones of this hollow castleI now reside far below Ravenloft. I live among the dead and sleep beneath the very stones of this hollow castle
of despair. I shall seal shut the walls of the stairs that none may disturb me.of despair. I shall seal shut the walls of the stairs that none may disturb me.
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ist blanketed the village, smothering the streets and
marooning the buildings, forming an archipelago of
crumbling masonry in a gray, hopeless sea.
At the village’s lonely edge, most structures were
abandoned, burnt-out hulks. Charcoal was thick on the air, but
that choking odor couldn’t overpower the underlying, sickly sweet
smell of carrion and spoilage. Claw marks raked some of the vacant
homes, ominous not merely because of their presence, but because of
the five-fingered, handlike shape they suggested.
Farther inward, most buildings survived. Doors were barricaded
with tables, broken carts, and smashed furnishings. Windows were
shuttered and planked. But had anyone been saved? Silence was
thick in the fog-bound streets, as though from cotton stuffed into the
ears. Nothing living stirred, nothing breathing walked the streets.
But where the living were absent, the newly dead shambled.
And hunger, too, raw and unstoppable, stalked the village, mul-
tiplying with each new corpse that kicked and shuddered its way
back toward animation.
A hunger that could never be slaked.
An infection that could never be stemmed.
The village of Barovia has suffered a string of bad luck. As
if Strahd’s recent attacks weren’t enough, now a burgeoning
necromantic infection threatens to erase it utterly (although
the zombie attack may be only indirectly related). Characters
whocomeuponthevillagehaveafightontheirhandssimply
to get to its central square. Has the entire village fallen to
multiplying zombies?
ZOMBIE INCURSION
Entering Barovia is like moving through a war zone. Any
travel at all is risky—zombies might lurk anywhere, and
probably do.
SUMMARY
PCs who want to figure out what’s going on need to
get to the village square, which is still effectively held
against the zombies (area E3), or to the burgomaster’s
home (area E11). Although this house is zombie-free,
it has been recently breached by Strahd.
Characters eventually learn that the heart of the
incursion festers in the old church and its graveyard
(areas E7 and E8, respectively). If the PCs overcome
the challenges in those areas, they quell the zombie
infestation and the accompanying monstrous
attacks. All zombies drop to the ground, becoming
ordinary corpses; grieving survivors gather and
bury their dead. Opportunistic monsters, such as
ghouls, dire maggots, and the like, slink away from the
village when they realize that the infection no longer
offers them cover.
23
Illus.byK.AndrasofszkyIllus.byK.Andrasofszky
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24
CHAPTER2
VILLAGEOF
BAROVIA
RUNNING THE ZOMBIE INCURSION
This chapter contains several zombie tactical encounters
(E1, E2, E3, and E9), which correspond to the adventure
information presented in the keyed entries.
First Street Encounter: Tactical encounter E1: Zombie
Street Ambush is intended as the first experience with the
infestation when the PCs arrive in the village.
The PCs run into zombies randomly as they travel the
streets and investigate buildings. Some encounters are
also keyed to specific locations, as detailed in the following
pages.
Subsequent Street Encounters: When the PCs reach
the intersection marked E2 on the village map, they come
upon another group of zombies and associated creatures.
This combat is presented in tactical encounter E2: Zombie
Street Encounter. For every 40 feet they travel through the
village of Barovia, the PCs have a 45% chance of encounter-
inganothergroupofzombiesintheabandonedstreets.(Such
random encounters should not take place within 40 feet of
a keyed area.) You can use tactical encounter E2 to handle
these random fights; the tactical information includes
instructions for varying the setup accordingly.
Should the PCs make it to the village square, they
encounter a paladin trying to fightoffthezombiesthat have
broken through one of the barricades. Tactical encounter
E3: Zombies in Town Square, page 36, contains detailed
information.
Building Encounters: Most buildings in the village are
not keyed to adventure locations. The citizens have piled up
furniture and assorted junk to barricade doors against the
undead hordes (hardness 5; 50 hp; break DC 20). If the PCs
break into such a building, roll on the table below to deter-
mine what they find inside. If the result indicates zombies,
use tactical encounter E9: Zombie-Infested Building (page
46). Specific buildings might have locked doors instead; the
tactical encounters provide such details.
Barovia Building Encounters
d% Encounter
01–50 Empty building
51–70 Barovian survivors
71–100 Zombies
Empty Building: This building is unoccupied. If you wish,
youcanroll1d4:onaresultof1or2,thestructureisanempty
tenement; on a 3, an abandoned shop; and on a 4, a looted
warehouse. For each 10 minutes spent searching the debris
in a building, the party can attempt a DC 25 Search check.
On a success, roll for a random treasure (Table 3–5: Treasure,
DMG52)suitablefora1st-levelencounter.Nounkeyedbuild-
ing has more than one treasure.
Barovian Survivors: A group of 2d4 villagers are huddled
in the building. The scared survivors inform the PCs that
the zombie attack began only a few days ago but got worse
quickly. Anyone who is killed by a zombie rises as a zombie a
fewmomentslater.ThevillagersbegthePCstoescortthemto
the village square, which they’ve heard is still holding out.
Zombies: This building is inhabited only by zombies,
whether transformed villagers or marauders that broke in
some other way.
If characters take shelter in an abandoned building, there
is a 25% chance per hour that a mob of 2d4+1 zombies shows
up at the entrance and tries to break in. (Use the infected
zombie statistics presented in any of the referenced tactical
encounters.) If the zombies fail to gain entrance after 2d10
rounds, they lose interest and shamble away.
E. Streets of Barovia
Tall shapes loom from the dense fog, and the muddy
ground underfoot gives way to slick, wet cobble-
stones. A dilapidated wooden sign reads “Welcome
to the Village of Barovia.” As you grow closer, the
shapes resolve into tenements whose windows are
boarded, broken, and lightless. Nothing moves near-
by, though the fog limits visibility. Faint sounds, as
of something groaning, echo hollowly from some-
where deeper in the settlement.
When characters enter keyed adventure locations (identified
by letter-number combinations on the village map), refer to
the appropriate entries below. Not every entry has an asso-
ciated tactical encounter; some of them detail interactions
with important NPCs, while others involve examining an
area and do not provoke combat.
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landon01
Arkusze
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3 TABLEOF CONTENTS Contents Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 What Is Expedition to Castle Ravenloft? . . . .4 1: Adventures in Ravenloft. . . . . . . . 5 Adventure Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Preparation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Tactical Encounter Format. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Count Strahd von Zarovich. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Special Strengths and Weaknesses . . . . . . .7 Ireena. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Servants of the Master. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Vistani. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Worgs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Varikov the Trapper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Kavan the Grim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Scrying Spell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Dire Wolves. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Bat Swarms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Dire Bats. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Ghasts and Ghouls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Vampire Spawn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Wraith and Wights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Spectres. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Sasha Ivliskova . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Strahd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Strahd’s Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Brook No Rival. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Descent into Madness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Strahd’s Dynasty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Undead Legions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Untamed Allies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Adventure Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 MiniCampaign. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Prologue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Act I: Inauspicious Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Act II: Ill Fortunes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Act III: The Face of Evil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Long Adventure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Short Adventure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Session 1: Welcome to Barovia . . . . . . . . . .18 Session 2: Getting at the Root. . . . . . . . . . .18 Session 3: Entering the Castle. . . . . . . . . . .18 Session 4: Defeating Strahd . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 One-Night Session . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Introduction: The Village of Barovia . . . .19 Adventure: Castle Ravenloft . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Adventure Hooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Smugglers’ Den . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Grief’s Plea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Search for the Sunsword. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Call of the Lightbringers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Race to the Tome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 Relics of the Morninglord . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 Nexus of Shadow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 Letter from Barovia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 Barovia and Castle Ravenloft. . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 A. Old Svalich Road. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 B. Gates of Barovia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 The Tome of Strahd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 2: Village of Barovia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Zombie Incursion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 E. Streets of Barovia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 Tactical Encounters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31 Zombie Street Ambush . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32 Zombie Street Encounter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34 Zombies in Town Square . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36 Ghoul Foray. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38 Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40 Church Understory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42 Ghoul Grave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44 Zombie-Infested Building . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46 3: Lands of Barovia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Using This Chapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48 The Three Hags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 The Mists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 C. The Svalich Woods. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 D. Ivlis Marsh. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 F. The Crossroads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52 G. Tser Pool Encampment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52 Interaction Encounter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55 Madam Eva’s Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55 Madam Eva . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55 The Fortunes of Ravenloft. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56 The Fortune Deck. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56 The Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56 Strahd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56 Sunsword. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58 Holy Symbol of Ravenkind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59 Tome of Strahd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60 Zombies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61 H. Tser Falls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62 I. Lysaga Hill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63 Tactical Encounters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63 Elf Ambush . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64 Werewolf Attack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66 Nymph Hideaway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68 Bloodmotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70 The Swamp Fane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72 The Crossroads. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74 Tser Pool Encampment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76 The Forest Fane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78 Tser Falls Approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80 Varikov’s Cave. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82 The Ecaterine Husk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84 The Mountain Fane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86 The Summoning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88 4: Castle Ravenloft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 Castle Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90 J. Gates of Ravenloft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91 K. The Castle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92 Main Floor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93 Court of the Count . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97 Rooms of Weeping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99 Spires of Ravenloft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .102 Larders of Ill Omen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109 Dungeon and Catacombs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113 Tactical Encounters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127 The Entry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128 Strahd in the Entry. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129 Dining Room . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .132 Chapel of Ravenloft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134 Audience Hall. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136 Hall of Madness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138 Steward’s Office . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140 Rooms of Weeping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .142 Treasury . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144 Hall of Heroes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .146 The Landing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .148 Guest Room. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150 Familiars. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152 Warlock Alchemy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154 Devil’s Garden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156 Dayheart Landing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158 Northtower Peak . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160 Hallway. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .162 Wine Cellar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164 Kitchen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .166 Guard Quarters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .168 Kingsmen Quarters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170 Office of Vengeance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172 Dungeon Hall. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .174 Torture Room . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .176 Necromancer’s Sanctum. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .178 Prince Aurel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180 Saint Markovia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .182 Endorovich . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184 King Tomescu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186 Shuhul Ishai-Bal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188 Sasha Ivliskova . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190 Tomb of Strahd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194 Subcatacombs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198 Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200 Feats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200 Enduring Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200 Lasting Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200 Knight of the Raven. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200 The Lightbringers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204 New Alchemical Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208 New Spell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .210 Damning Darkness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .210 New Magic Armor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .210 Vampire Hide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .210 New Magic Weapon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .210 Sunsword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .210 New Rings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .211 Band of Spell Enhancement . . . . . . . . . . .211 Moonfriend. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .211 Ring of Parting Prevented . . . . . . . . . . . . .211 Ring of the Righteous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212 New Wondrous Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212 Codex Advocare. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212 Dayheart. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212 Fang of Inhabitation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212 Ghost Hood. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 Heart Talisman of the Red Dragon . . . . 213 Hellheart Locket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 Holy Symbol of Ravenkind . . . . . . . . . . . 213 Icon of Ravenloft. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .214 Liber Blaspheme Fragment . . . . . . . . . . . .214 Oathstone (Nicoramus). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215 Pendant of Good Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215 Portal Key. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215 Prefect’s Vestments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215 Saint Ecaterina’s Burial Shroud . . . . . . . 215 Saint Markovia’s Thighbone . . . . . . . . . . .216 Saint Bogdan’s Fingerbone. . . . . . . . . . . . .216 Stifled Skull. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .216 Legacy Items. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217 Holy Symbol of Ravenkind . . . . . . . . . . . 217 Sunsword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .218 Slab of Sacrifice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220 Player Handouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220 95393720_Ch01.indd 395393720_Ch01.indd 3 7/26/06 7:09:59 PM7/26/06 7:09:59 PM
IntroductionNottheleastglimmeroflightescapedthecastle’stallblackwindows. Its broken battlements sketched a jagged line across the darkened sky. Castle Ravenloft brooded over a bleak, mist-shrouded valley. Constructed on the sheer side of a thousand-foot cliff, the terrible fortress was occupied by something ancient and evil. Ablotofnightdetachedfromtheshadowedwallsofthecastleand moved out onto a narrow balcony. Lightning revealed the sneering countenance of Count Strahd von Zarovich. His eyes, burning with a never-satisfied hunger, took in the drizzling twilight, the looming peaks, and the few sad lights of the village below. He clutched one hand to his chest and muttered, as if making a promise, or perhaps delivering a curse, a single name: “Ireena . . .” Strahd grimaced, and his sharp canine teeth promised mayhem. Abitterwindspundeadleavesabouthim,billowinghisvelvet-lined cape. Another fit of lightning burst from the storm’s underbelly, casting starklightacrossStrahd’sface.Theangularmusclesofhisvisageand the taut lines in his hands revealed a man accustomed to exercising complete authority. In that face, no pity lived—but, perhaps, hints of growing madness? His eyes narrowed as he spied the newcomers. A group traveled downOldSvalichRoadtowardthevillage.Hisgrimacetransformed into a hideous smile. He knew they were coming, knew why they came, and relished what would be their ultimate fate. No plan could be called good unless blood was spilled during its execution. All the pawns were finally assembled; all the pieces, prepared for so long, were in place and waiting to play their parts. Even from where he stood on the balcony, Strahd heard the unceasing pulse of the Dayheart; its beat throbbed up through the castle stone into his rigid flesh. Its horrid semblance of life sustained Strahd with a vigor even more potent than the unholy existence he had enjoyed these many centuries. Precious few weapons could permanently harm him anymore. Soon enough, Strahd would personally attend the newcomers. WHAT IS EXPEDITION TO CASTLE RAVENLOFT? The Expedition to Castle Ravenloft campaign adventure is designed for four 6th-level DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® charac- ters (though player characters who survive to the adventure’s finale should gain three or even four levels). This book pres- ents an expanded, revised version of the original adventure module I6: Ravenloft by Tracy and Laura Hickman. Like that module, this adventure is a classic gothic horror story; how- ever, modern elements of terror also infuse this book. The original, ground-breaking adventure had several memorable features: • ThefantasticorthogonalmapsofCastleRavenloftdesigned by David Sutherland proved such a powerful aid to play that a generation of Dungeon Masters still fondly recall them and reemploy them whenever possible. • Characters had their fortunes told by an enigmatic gypsy. The results of the card reading determined not only the placement of an important treasure in the castle, but also set the antagonist’s goals for the adventure. • Finally, Count Strahd von Zarovich has become one of the most infamous villains in D&D history. Expedition to Castle Ravenloft retains these exciting features and updates the classic adventure with a new look and a new encounter format. The game material in encounters reflects the most recent edition of the rules, and many of the famil- iar elements of the original setting now include expanded (and sometimes reimagined) backgrounds. This adventure also presents entirely new features, threats, and rewards for player characters. In addition to adventure material, the appendix of this book contains information for player characters, including special items and magic items, new feats, and a prestige class specifictotheRavenloftsetting:theknightoftheraven,ideal for PCs who wish to take up the mantle of Barovia’s ancient order of holy knights. THE ENCOUNTER FORMAT This updated adventure breaks some new ground of its own as the first publication to use a new format for presenting encounters: the combats, traps, and other challenges that await adventurers in the village of Barovia, in the wilderness areas around the village, and in the forbidding environs of Castle Ravenloft itself. Every encounter in the adventure is displayed on facing pages. In most cases, that two-page spread contains all the information necessary to play out that encounter at the table—a description of the situation and how it unfolds, statistics for monsters and traps, and a keyed map of the area in which the encounter takes place, so that the event can be set up and run on a battle grid using D&D miniatures. The encounter spreads do not all provide exactly the same kinds of information, and they don’t all look the same on the page. Each one is tailored to provide the essential details par- ticular to that event—the encounters that take place in the village(Chapter2)aren’tbuiltthesamewayastheonesinthe outlying lands of Barovia (Chapter 3)—and the encounters in the castle are in yet another style, one that best suits that group of events. On rare occasions, an encounter spread refers to an earlier page in the book for other information that might or might not be needed, depending on how the encounter unfolds. Mostofthesepagereferencesareawayofpreventingfrequent repetition of certain pieces of text—for instance, we don’t include information in every infected creature’s statistics block about how to properly treat the necromantic infection, because we didn’t think those details needed to be called out every time they might come into play. WHAT YOU NEED TO PLAY This adventure is intended for use in any DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game. The setting can be dropped into any cam- paign and played out as an extended series of challenges, or it can be truncated to span just a few playing sessions. It’s even possible to experience the threats and thrills of Castle Ravenloft in a single afternoon or evening of play. YouneedthePlayer’sHandbook(PH),DungeonMaster’sGuide (DMG), and Monster Manual (MM) to make use of the mate- rial. This book draws from some D&D supplements as well, particularlyLibrisMortis:TheBookofUndead.However,allthe information a DM needs to run the adventure is provided in these pages. INTRODUCTION 4 95393720_Ch01.indd 495393720_Ch01.indd 4 7/26/06 7:10:01 PM7/26/06 7:10:01 PM
elcome to Barovia, a mist-shrouded forest valley in the southeastern foothills of a brood- ing mountain range. This minor realm is little visited, being far off the major trade routes and having a poor reputation in surrounding lands. Ancient curses, gloomy weather, and vicious werewolves plague the long-suffering peasants who bend beneath the yoke of a cruel nobleman. ADVENTURE BACKGROUND Hundredsofyearsago,CountStrahdvonZarovichconquered Barovia and moved his family, “long unseated from their ancient thrones,” to the valley, fortifying Castle Ravenloft and raising it to new grandeur. Strahd is the architect of his own vampiric existence, having made a blood pact with an unnamed evil entity. Since that time, he has lingered on while his family perished one by one. Now he rules the lands of Barovia alone. After centuries of dreary inertia, and perhaps growing a bit mad in his endless existence, the count has developed new aspirations. The time has come for Strahd to move, and for the player characters to resist him, if they can. The PCs have their own reasons to venture into Barovia. Their investigation leads deep into the misty valley and the village of the same name, until they finally discover the infamous Castle Ravenloft and its grim master. PREPARATION As with any preconstructed adventure, you should read through Expedition to Castle Ravenloft ahead of time to become familiar with the material. The adventure is divided into keyed encounters, linked by letters and numbers to specific areas of the overview map of Barovia on page 54. The PCs might reach the various encounter areas by a number of different routes and at various timesduringthecourseoftheadventure.Thisnonlinear flow means that sometimes an encounter might refer to details described later in the book, so it is important to have a solid grasp of the interconnected elements. TACTICAL ENCOUNTER FORMAT Some encounters use traditional narrative text. For those in which combat is expected, the entry points to an associated tactical encounter; these encounters are collected at the end of each chapter. Each tactical encounter includes a map of the roomorareainwhichtheencountertakesplace.The information includes creature statistics and tactics, initialpositionsofcombatants,thelocationsoftraps or other hazards, and other details important to the encounter. Theencountersinthisadventurearedesignedforuse with DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® miniatures, which make the interactions of combatants easier to visualize. 5 Illus.byD.AlsopIllus.byD.Alsop 95393720_Ch01.indd 595393720_Ch01.indd 5 7/26/06 7:10:03 PM7/26/06 7:10:03 PM
6 CHAPTER1 ADVENTURESIN RAVENLOFT COUNT STRAHD VON ZAROVICH Expedition to Castle Ravenloft centers around the vampire StrahdvonZarovich.AsDungeonMaster,youmustplayhim as carefully as the players run their characters. Always keep in mind his motives, his activities, and his plans. The following text provides Strahd’s full statistics block, along with important notes and explanations. You can photocopy these pages for reference during the adventure. Variations on this statistics block appear elsewhere, in tacti- cal encounters involving the vampire, since he might adopt different forms or prepare different spells to maximize his options in different circumstances. In such cases, Strahd’s statistics are abbreviated to fit into the tactical encounter format; see the Undead and Vampire Characteristics sidebar for a summary of these shortened ability entries. Count Strahd von Zarovich CR 15 Male vampire (human) necromancer 10 LE Medium undead (augmented humanoid) Init +7; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Listen +13, Spot +13 Languages Common, Draconic, Elven, Giant, Infernal AC 27, touch 15, flat-footed 24; Dodge hp 70 (10 HD); fast healing 5; DR 10/silver and magic Immune sunlight; undead immunities Resist acid 10, cold 10, electricity 10, fire 10, positive energy 10, sonic 10; +4 turn resistance; ring of counterspells (dispel magic), nondetection Fort +6, Ref +11, Will +13 Weakness vampire vulnerabilities (except sunlight) Speed 30 ft. (6 squares), spider climb 20 ft. Melee slam +9 (1d6+4 plus energy drain) Base Atk +5; Grp +9 Atk Options Combat Reflexes, energy drain, magic strike Special Actions alternate form, blood drain 1d4 Con, children of the night 1/night, dominate (Will DC 18), gaseous form Combat Gear bead of force, lesser Silent metamagic rod, ring of counterspells Wizard Spells Prepared (CL 10th; prohibited schools abjuration and illusion): 5th—cloudkill (DC 20), fell draining lightning bolt (DC 18; creatures that take damage also gain one negative level), mind fog (DC 20), waves of fatigue 4th—dimension door, enervation (+8 ranged touch), fear (DC 19), enervated scorching ray (+8 ranged touch, +50% damage to living creatures, half damage to unliving), scrying (DC 19) 3rd—deep slumber (DC 18), fireball (DC 18), haste, fell draining magic missile (creatures that take damage also gain one negative level), ray of exhaustion (+8 ranged touch, DC 18) 2nd—blindness/deafness (DC 17), false life, fog cloud, scorching ray (+8 ranged touch), see invisibility, spectral hand 1st—chill touch (+9 melee touch, DC 16), expeditious retreat, mage armor (2), magic missile, ray of enfeeblement (+8 ranged touch), true strike 0—detect magic (2), ghost sound (DC 15), message, touch of fatigue (+9 melee touch, DC 15) Abilities Str 18, Dex 16, Con —, Int 20, Wis 17, Cha 16 SQ create spawn, forest sign, mountain sign, swamp sign Feats AlertnessB , Combat Casting*, Combat ReflexesB , DodgeB , Enervate Spell†B , Fell Drain†B , Improved Energy Drain†, Improved InitiativeB , Lightning ReflexesB , Positive Energy Resistance†, Scribe ScrollB , Spell Drain† *If you are using the taint rules in Heroes of Horror, replace Combat Casting with the Touch of Taint feat from that book. †Feats described in Libris Mortis. Skills Bluff +17, Concentration +16, Diplomacy +7, Disguise +3 (+5 acting), Hide +13, Intimidate +11, Knowledge (arcana) +18, Knowledge (religion) +18, Listen +13, Move Silently +17, Search +13, Sense Motive +17, Spellcraft +20, Spot +13 Possessions combat gear plus ring of protection +2, cloak of resistance +3 Spellbooks See “Strahd’s Spellbooks,” below. Fast Healing (Ex) If reduced to 0 hp in combat, Strahd automatically and immediately assumes gaseous form and makes his way toward his crypt (area K86). Vampire Vulnerabilities As long as the Dayheart remains intact, Strahd suffers no ill effects from sunlight. Energy Drain (Su) Living creatures hit by Strahd’s slam attack gain two negative levels. At the same time, Strahd gains 10 temporary hit points and a +2 bonus on skill checks, ability checks, attack rolls, and saving throws for 1 hour. (This bonus derives from his Improved Energy Drain feat.) Whenever a spellcaster opponent loses a prepared spell due to energy drain, Strahd gains the ability to cast that spell once (as if he had prepared it). The spell’s effect is treated as if the original spellcaster had cast it. The spell remains in Strahd’s mind for up to 1 hour, and he can keep up to three stolen spells at a time. This ability has no effect on spellcasters who don’t prepare spells or on characters who have no spells prepared. (This ability comes from his Spell Drain feat.) If you are using the taint rules in Heroes of Horror, Strahd’s energy drain also increases the target’s depravity score by 2 points or its corruption and depravity scores by 1 point each (because of his Touch of Taint feat). Magic Strike (Su) If Strahd hits with his slam attack, the attack is treated as magic for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. Alternate Form (Su) See below for Strahd’s statistics in his animal forms. In animal form, Strahd cannot use his equipment or cast spells, nor can he use his dominate ability. Blood Drain (Ex) If you are using the taint rules in Heroes of Horror, Strahd’s blood drain also increases the target’s corruption score by 2 points (because of his Touch of Taint feat). Gaseous Form (Su) Strahd’s Armor Class in gaseous form is 15 (19 with mage armor active), touch 15, flat-footed 12. Forest Sign (Su) As a result of his connection to the forests of Barovia, Strahd benefits from a constant nondetection effect on himself and his gear, as the spell (caster level check DC 19). If Strahd’s connection to the Forest Fane is severed, Strahd loses this benefit and his CR is reduced by 1. Mountain Sign (Su) As a result of his connection to the mountains of Barovia, Strahd is surrounded by a field of force armor that grants him a +6 armor bonus to AC. Because it is made of force, this armor protects him against incorporeal attacks and applies when Strahd is in gaseous form. If Strahd’s connection to the Mountain Fane is severed, his Armor Class is reduced to 21 and his CR is reduced by 1. Swamp Sign (Su) As a result of his connection to the swamps of Barovia, Strahd has resistance to acid 10, fire 95393720_Ch01.indd 695393720_Ch01.indd 6 7/26/06 7:10:04 PM7/26/06 7:10:04 PM
7 CHAPTER1 ADVENTURESIN RAVENLOFT 10, and sonic 10. If his connection to the Swamp Fane is severed, Strahd loses these resistances and his CR is reduced by 1. When in bat form, Strahd has the following changed statistics: Bat Form CR 15 LE Diminutive undead (augmented humanoid) AC 22, touch 16, flat-footed 20 Ref +7 Speed 5 ft. (1 square), fly 40 ft. (good) Melee — Grp –12 Abilities Str 1, Dex 15 Skills Disguise +3 (+13 to mimic bat), Hide +24, Move Silently +16 When in dire bat form, Strahd has the following changed statistics: Dire Bat Form CR 15 LE Large undead (augmented humanoid) AC 26, touch 15, flat-footed 20 Ref +11 Speed 20 ft. (4 squares), fly 40 ft. (good) Melee bite +7 (1d8+4 plus energy drain) Grp +12 Abilities Str 17, Dex 22 Skills Disguise +3 (+13 to mimic dire bat), Hide +12, Move Silently +20 When in dire wolf form, Strahd has the following changed statistics: Dire Wolf Form CR 15 LE Large undead (augmented humanoid) AC 20, touch 11, flat-footed 18 Ref +7 Speed 50 ft. (10 squares) Melee bite +11 (1d8+10 plus energy drain) Grp +16 Atk Options trip +11 Abilities Str 25, Dex 15 Skills Disguise +3 (+13 to mimic dire wolf), Hide +8, Move Silently +16 Trip (Ex) In dire wolf form, Strahd can attempt to trip an opponent he hits with a bite attack. Strahd calls himself the “first vampire,” but theclaimseemsunlikely.Thedetailsofhis story are set down in the Tome of Strahd, with key excerpts presented on page 22. Strahd is a tall man, standing just over 6 feet. His body is lean and hard, and his gaunt face has strong features and prominent cheekbones. His eyes are dark and hypnotic, like deep pools with subtle reflections of red light, but when he is enraged they burn like red-hot coals. His skin is usually pale, but it becomes flushed with each feeding and retains that healthy-lookingcolorforseveralhours.Hiselongatedandthin fingershavelong,sharpnails.Hisfangsarenotobviousunless he wants them to be noticed—he can speak and even yawn without revealing his true nature. When he attacks, however, the fangs lengthen to protrude from his mouth. Strahd prefers to wear black with touches of white and red. His clothing style is the tailored, layered look common to the nobility. SPECIAL STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES Strahd differs from standard vampires in a few key respects. He enjoys an unnatural connection with the land of Barovia (see below), which has given him three significant defensive abilities: force armor, energy resistance, and a constant non- detection effect. Strahd has no aversion to garlic or mirrors. Though he can be turned, characters cannot keep him at bay simply by presenting a holy symbol. He can enter any building in Barovia, whether he is invited or not. Finally, the artifact known as the Dayheart (see below) grants Strahd immunity to the destructive effects of sunlight. In addition to the standard alternate forms assumed by vampires, Strahd can take the shape of a batlike humanoid (“werebat” form) and a bestial humanoid with wolfish charac- teristics (feral form). These special forms appear in Strahd’s statistics block for encounters in which he assumes them. The Wilderness Fanes: In the countryside of Barovia stand ancient sites of worship. Strahd appropriated three such wilderness fanes located near his castle—one in the Illus.byW.O’Connor Count Strahd von Zarovich 95393720_Ch01.indd 795393720_Ch01.indd 7 7/26/06 7:10:06 PM7/26/06 7:10:06 PM
8 CHAPTER1 ADVENTURESIN RAVENLOFT pqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqrs Undead creatures—especially vampires—are a recurring theme in Expedition to Castle Ravenloft. Full descriptions of the special abilities, resistances, and weaknesses of these creatures would make their stat blocks unwieldy as well as repeating large amounts of text. To save space, this sidebar summarizes the details common to such creatures. Where an exception exists, such as Strahd’s ignoring typical vampire aversions, that fact is noted in the creature’s stat block. UNDEAD CHARACTERISTICS An undead creature has the following characteristics (MM 317). Undead Immunities: Immunity to all mind-affecting spells and abilities (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects), poison, sleep effects, paralysis, stunning, disease, and death effects. Not subject to extra damage from critical hits, nonlethal damage, ability drain, or energy drain. Immune to damage to physical ability scores (Strength, Dex- terity, and Constitution), as well as to fatigue and exhaustion effects. Not at risk of death from massive damage, but when reduced to 0 hit points or less, it is immediately destroyed. Immune to any effect that requires a Fortitude save (unless the effect also works on objects or is harmless). Undead Traits: Darkvision out to 60 feet. No Constitution score. Uses its Charisma modifier for Concentration checks. Not affected by raise dead and reincarnate spells or abilities. Resurrection and true resurrection turn undead creatures back into the living creatures they were before becoming undead. Negative energy (such as an inflict spell) can heal undead creatures. Undead do not breathe, eat, or sleep. VAMPIRE CHARACTERISTICS A vampire has the following characteristics (MM 252). Vampire spawn share many of these abilities. Vampire Abilities: The DC for all saves against these abilities is 10 + 1/2 vampire’s or spawn’s HD + vampire’s or spawn’s Cha modifier unless otherwise specified (MM 252). Fast Healing (Ex): A vampire heals 5 points of damage each round so long as it has at least 1 hit point; a vampire spawn heals 2 points of damage each round. If reduced to 0 hp in combat, a vampire or vampire spawn automatically and imme- diately assumes gaseous form and must reach its tomb within 2 hours or be utterly destroyed. Any additional damage it takes in gaseous form has no effect. Once at rest in its crypt, the vampire or vampire spawn is helpless for 1 hour. After 1 hour, it regains 1 hit point and is no longer helpless, then resumes healing at the normal rate per round. Spider Climb (Ex): A vampire or vampire spawn can climb sheer surfaces as though with a spider climb spell. Energy Drain (Su): Living creatures hit by a vampire’s slam attack gain two negative levels, and the vampire gains 10 tem- porary hit points. Living creatures hit by a vampire spawn’s slam attack gain one negative level, and the vampire spawn gains 5 temporary hit points. See DMG 293 for more informa- tion about energy drain and negative levels. Alternate Form (Su): A vampire can assume the shape of a bat, dire bat, wolf, or dire wolf as a standard action. This ability is similar to a polymorph spell (CL 12th), except that a vampire does not regain hit points for changing form and must choose one of these forms. A vampire in animal form loses its natural slam attack and its dominate ability. Blood Drain (Ex): A vampire or vampire spawn can suck blood from a living victim with its fangs by making a success- ful grapple check. If it pins the foe, it drains blood, dealing 1d4 points of Constitution drain each round the pin is maintained. On each such successful attack, the vampire or vampire spawn gains 5 temporary hit points that last for up to 1 hour. This abil- ity does not affect elementals, plants, or creatures that lack a Constitution score. Children of the Night (Su): Once per day, a vampire can call forth 1d6+1 rat swarms, 1d4+1 bat swarms, or a pack of 3d6 wolves as a standard action. The creatures arrive in 2d6 rounds and serve the vampire for up to 1 hour. Dominate (Su): A vampire can crush an opponent’s will just by looking into his or her eyes. This is similar to a gaze attack with a range of 30 feet, except that the vampire must use a standard action and choose a single target—those merely look- ing at it are unaffected. The vampire’s target must succeed on a Will save or fall instantly under its influence as though by a dominate person spell (CL 12th). Create Spawn (Su): A humanoid or monstrous humanoid slain by a vampire’s energy drain rises as a vampire spawn 1d4 days after burial. A victim slain by a vampire’s blood drain returns as a spawn (4 or fewer HD) or as a vampire (5 or more HD). Gaseous Form (Su): As gaseous form at will (CL 5th), but the vampire or vampire spawn can remain gaseous indefinitely and has a fly speed of 20 feet with perfect maneuverability. Vampire Aversions: A vampire or vampire spawn cannot tolerate the strong odor of garlic. It recoils from a mirror or strongly presented holy symbol. When recoiling, it must stay at least 5 feet away from a creature holding the mirror or holy symbol and cannot touch or make melee attacks against the creature holding the item for the rest of the encounter. Holding a vampire or vampire spawn at bay takes a standard action. A vampire or vampire spawn can’t cross running water (though it can be carried across) and can’t enter a private building unless invited. Vampire Vulnerabilities: Vampires and vampire spawn share the following vulnerabilities. Sunlight: If a vampire or vampire spawn is exposed to direct sunlight, it is disoriented and can take only a single move action or standard action in the first round of exposure. In the next round, it is destroyed utterly. Running Water: Immersing a vampire or vampire spawn in running water deals one-third of its hit points in damage each round. If it reaches 0 hit points when immersed, or at the end of three rounds of immersion, the creature is destroyed. Wooden Stake: If a vampire or vampire spawn is helpless, a foe can take a full-round action (similar to a coup de grace) to drive a wooden stake through its heart. This renders the body inert, like a normal corpse, and makes it vulnerable to normal attacks so that it can be destroyed. If the wooden stake is re- moved before the body is destroyed, however, the vampire or vampire spawn returns to unlife, although it has 0 hit points and assumes gaseous form. pqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqrs UNDEAD AND VAMPIRE CHARACTERISTICS 95393720_Ch01.indd 895393720_Ch01.indd 8 7/26/06 7:10:11 PM7/26/06 7:10:11 PM
9 CHAPTER1 ADVENTURESIN RAVENLOFT Svalich Woods, one in the swamp to the east, and one high in the mountains. Performing dark rituals at each once-sanc- tified altar, Strahd bound himself to the land and the land to him, gaining great powers in the bargain. Stripping him of those powers requires visiting each fane and performing specific rituals to sever his connection to the land. The Dayheart: This massive crystal, fed by dreadful energies, grants vampires linked to it immunity from the effects of sunlight. The Dayheart occupies the highest part of one of the castle’s spires. For more information about this artifact, see area 60A in Castle Ravenloft (page 158) and the Appendix. Legacy Items: Two legendary magic items of great power can overcome many of Strahd’s defenses. The Holy Symbol of Ravenkind predates the arrival of Strahd’s family in Baro- via and is a potent tool against vampires, but has been lost for centuries. The Sunsword, the original model for all sun blades, is the bane of undead. Strahd attempted to have the weapon destroyed, but unknown to him, its blade survives. For more about these two items, and the rituals needed to fully awaken their powers, see the Appendix. IREENA Strahd believes that Ireena Kolyana (see page 31) is the reincarnation of Tatyana von Zarovich, wife of Strahd’s brother Sergei. Strahd’s unrequited love for Tatyana drove him to madness and plunged him over the precipice into irredeemable evil. Having seen Ireena in Barovia, Strahd believes his ancient love has returned to him, and he seeks to claim her. This obsession is the primary motivation for everything he does. Strahd wants to “win the love” of Ireena, but in the evil manner of a corrupt immortal, such wooing occurs over the course of three visits. He believes that in this way he is “building a relationship.” During the first two visits, Strahd lulled Ireena into complacency through domination. He maneuvered her into being alone with him so he could bite herneckanddrainsomeofherblood.Hehopestodeliverthe last bite during their third meeting, making her his vampire consort. Strahd never directly attacks Ireena, nor does any creature under his command. However, he had her father, the burgo- master, killed for attempting to interfere in their romantic “destiny.”Hekeepsaneyeoutforanyopportunitytoseparate Ireena from the PCs, should she join them, then bring her into a new realm of existence. Domination is Strahd’s ace in the hole—ten days remain before the effect ends, though Ireena doesn’t realize she is under the vampire’s control. Strahd calls upon this advantage only when he deems the time is ripe to bring his bride-to-be into the fold. SERVANTS OF THE MASTER As the undisputed master of Barovia, Strahd has many spies, from swarms of bats to wandering Vistani, packs of ghouls to drifting ghosts. These agents constantly patrol the lands of Barovia and report everything they see to Strahd. EverydayandeverynightthePCsremaininBarovia,some spy of the count checks on them and attempts to return to Strahd with a report (once every 12 hours). A spy does not constitute an encounter if the PCs are unaware of its pres- ence. If they do notice it, the spy’s top priority is usually escape, not combat. After all, Strahd brought the PCs to Barovia for a reason, and killing them would run counter to the master’s directives—at least at the outset. (Later on, Strahd might well want the PCs dead; if so, his spies attempt to carry out his wishes, though they still flee when a fight turns against them.) A secondary goal for a spy is to acquire some physical object—apossession,anarticleofclothing,orevensomepart ofacharacter’sbodysuchasalockofhairorabitofnail—that pqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqrs STRAHD’S SPELLBOOKS More than simply a treasure to be won by skilled or lucky PCs, Strahd’s spellbooks represent a wealth of additional tactical options for the vampiric genius. The following lists additional spells that Strahd knows in addition to those he has prepared. Feel free to substitute different prepared spells to account for the party’s capabilities and weaknesses. If you have access to sources other than the Player’s Handbook, particularly Spell Compendium, you can substitute spells from those books for others in Strahd’s repertoire. 5th—cone of cold, hold monster, magic jar, prying eyes, teleport, wall of force. 4th—animate dead, arcane eye, bestow curse, confusion, con- tagion, detect scrying, Otiluke’s resilient sphere, solid fog. 3rd—clairaudience/clairvoyance, gentle repose, hold person, slow, stinking cloud, vampiric touch, wind wall. 2nd—bull’s strength, cat’s grace, command undead, darkness, detect thoughts, glitterdust, gust of wind, Melf’s acid arrow, see invisibility, Tasha’s hideous laughter, touch of idiocy, web. 1st—burning hands, cause fear, charm person, comprehend languages, identify, obscuring mist, shocking grasp, sleep, unseen servant. 0—all except abjuration and illusion. pqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqrs Tactical Encounter Maps All maps are scaled in 5-foot squares for the sake of regu- lating movement on the battle grid. As described on page 59 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide, if a map feature covers morethanhalfofagivensquare,thefeatureisconsidered to extend into that square. For example, if an area of light undergrowthskirtstheedgesofasquare,buttherestofthe square is clear, then entering that square entails no extra movementcost.Iftheundergrowthextendspastthecenter of the square, the square costs 2 squares to move into. Diagonal walls on the tactical maps are positioned so theycutthroughthesidesofsquaresedgesinsteadofrun- ning from corner to corner. As a result, it’s easy to tell on whichsideofawallacharactercanstandinagivensquare, sinceeverysquarethatadiagonalwallpassesthroughhas one area that is largely clear and another tiny corner that is impassable. 95393720_Ch01.indd 995393720_Ch01.indd 9 7/26/06 7:10:12 PM7/26/06 7:10:12 PM
10 CHAPTER1 ADVENTURESIN RAVENLOFT Strahd can use to cast scrying more reliably. If confronted by the party, the spy attempts to grab some accessible item from a character and then flees if possible. Should the situation merit his personal involvement, Strahd himself might leave the castle to observe the PCs. Each day the PCs remain in Barovia, choose one of the following spies or roll 1d20. Add 1 to this roll each day after the first. d20 Spy 1–4 — 5–10 1d3+1 Vistani (EL 6) 11–15 1d4+1 worgs (EL 6; MM 257) 16–18 Varikov the trapper (EL 7; see below) 19–20 Kavan the Grim (EL 7; see page 11) 21+ Scrying spell Each night the PCs remain in Barovia, choose one of the following spies or roll 1d20. Again, add 1 to the roll each night after the first. d20 Spy 1–3 2d4 worgs (EL 7; MM 257) 4–6 1d4+1 dire wolves (EL 7; MM 65) 7–9 2d4 bat swarms (EL 7; MM 237) 10–12 2d4 dire bats (EL 7; MM 62) 13–14 2 ghasts plus 2d4 ghouls (EL 7; MM 119) 15–16 1d4+1 vampire spawn (EL 7; MM 253) 17–18 1 wraith (MM 258) plus 1d3+1 wights (MM 255) (EL 8) 19–20 1d3 spectres (EL 9; MM 232) 21–22 Sasha Ivliskova (see page 13) plus 2 vampire spawn (EL 8) 23+ Strahd (EL 15; see page 6) (roll 1d6): 1–2: Dire wolf form plus 1d4+1 dire wolves 3–4: Bat form plus 2d4 bat swarms 5–6: Dire bat form plus 2d4 dire bats VISTANI TheVistaniofBaroviaarealoosegangofhumanandhalfling thieves, smugglers, extortionists, and con artists. They travel the region in small groups, carrying stolen goods and con- traband between Barovia’s neighbors on all sides. Although the villagers fear and despise them, the Vistani are under the protection of Strahd and are among his most loyal and useful servants. ThesehumanVistanilooklikethugs,armedwithwickedly curved swords and wearing chain shirts under their colorful garb, but they are actually skilled rogues—and keen observ- ers. If the PCs spend time in the village of Barovia, several Vistani sit or stand in a cluster nearby, seemingly engrossed inaconversationintheirownlanguagewhileonepaysatten- tion only to the PCs. A character who makes a successful Sense Motive check opposed by any Vistani’s Bluff check result (Vistani have a +6 modifier) notices one of the group watching the PCs. WhenthePCsareoutsidethevillage,theVistanitailthem throughthewildernessforanhourorso,remainingabout60 feet away and using their elixirs of hiding and elixirs of sneaking (increasing their Hide and Move Silently modifiers to +16). The PCs can attempt to notice the spies every 10 minutes, making opposed checks (Spot against the Vistani’s Hide, and ListenagainsttheirMoveSilently).Rememberthatwhenthe Vistani are moving through light undergrowth, the PCs get a +2 bonus on their Listen checks, while heavy undergrowth gives a +5 bonus. If attacked, the Vistani drink their potions of shield of faith and flee at the earliest opportunity. For more about the Vistani, including statistics blocks, see encounter area G on page 52 and the associated tactical encounter on page 76. WORGS These large, intelligent wolves follow the PCs. During day- lighthours,thepackisarelativelysmallgroupthatstaysabout 70 to 120 feet from the PCs. This separation corresponds to themaximumdistanceatwhichtheirSpotcheckscandetect the PCs in a dense forest (2d6 × 10 feet; DMG 87). If the PCs attacktheworgsduringdaylight,thecreaturesscatterimme- diately, running off in different directions. At night, the pack is larger and more aggressive. The worgs stay about 30 to 60 feet away from the PCs (1d4+2 × 10 feet), since they must rely on their fog-hindered darkvision to keep tabs on the party. If the PCs threaten or attack them at night, the worgs try to surround the party and fight back, withdrawing only after roughly one-quarter of them have been slain. Should the PCs remain in the village during the day, they can see and hear the worgs ranging around the edge of town andhowlingfrequently.IfthePCsstayinthevillageatnight, the worgs snarl and howl as they stalk the streets outside the building where the characters are lodging. In combat, the worgs use flanking and aid one another in attacks to hit high-AC characters more easily. If one manages to trip a PC, the other worgs concentrate their attacks on that character and make attacks of opportunity when she tries to stand. (A worg cannot use that attack of opportunity to trip thecharacteragain,sincesheisalreadypronewhentheattack occurs.)Flankingworgsoftentaketurnsfightingdefensively (–4 attack, +2 AC), but if a foe concentrates attacks on one of the pair, that one takes the total defense action (+4 AC, no attacks) while the other makes the best use of flanking. VARIKOV THE TRAPPER This dwarf ranger is a depraved killer who enjoys trapping and skinning human prey more than animal quarry. He knows the Svalich Woods and the surrounding area better than any other living creature. Varikov’s lair is a cave behind Tser Falls (area H on the overview map). VarikovkeepshisdistancewhenspyingonthePCs,relying onhisgoodSpotmodifiertokeepthemwithinthemaximum range of his vision (roughly 120 feet during the day, or 60 feet at night) while trying to stay out of their sight. If he loses sight of the PCs, he uses Track to follow their trail until he canseethemagain.Farkash,hiswolfcompanion,usestheaid another action to help Varikov in tracking. Varikov’s favored enemy is humans, so he gains a +2 bonus on Survival checks to track the party if it includes a human. The ranger tries his best to avoid combat, but if the PCs notice him and attack, he does not retreat until defeat is obvious. Even then, if he is sure that a significant number of the PCs can keep up with his relatively low speed, he stands and fights desperately rather than making a futile attempt to get away. 95393720_Ch01.indd 1095393720_Ch01.indd 10 7/26/06 7:10:14 PM7/26/06 7:10:14 PM
11 CHAPTER1 ADVENTURESIN RAVENLOFT FormoreaboutVarikov,includingstatisticsforhimandFar- kash,seeencounterareaHonpage62andtheassociatedtactical encounter on page 82. KAVAN THE GRIM Strahd has been experi- menting to create vampire minions with the ability to move about in daylight. He might even be planning to create a population of the daywalker breed (see Strahd’s Dynasty on page 15). Among the first of these creations, Kavan the Grim is a savage brute who relishes his new ability to cause mayhem under the noonday sun. His ferocity makes him a poor covert spy, but he can accurately report on the PCs’ combat abilities. Kavan hurries toward the party at top speed, making no effort at stealth—once he closes to 90 feet, the PCs notice his approach.Onhisfirstturnincombat,Kavanragesandmoves to attack the nearest character. He fights until he drops to 0 hit points, then drifts off in gaseous form toward the crypts beneath Castle Ravenloft. Kavan’sdaylightattackshouldbeaclearwarningtothePCs that they are not up against any normal vampire foe. Unlike Strahd, though, Kavan suffers from the normal vampire aversions. Kavan the Grim CR 7 Male vampire (human) barbarian 5 CE Medium undead (augmented humanoid) Init +8; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Listen +12, Spot +8 Languages Common, Giant AC 22, touch 12, flat-footed 18 (+4 Dex, +4 armor, +6 natural, –2 raging) hp 38 (5 HD); fast healing 5; DR 10/silver and magic Immune sunlight; undead immunities Resist cold 10, electricity 10; +4 turn resistance Fort +4, Ref +7, Will +5 Weakness vampire aversions, vampire vulnerabilities (except sunlight) Speed 45 ft. (9 squares), spider climb 20 ft. Melee +1 bastard sword +15 (1d10+10) and slam +9 (1d6+4 plus energy drain) Base Atk +5; Grp +14 Atk Options Combat Reflexes, energy drain, magic strike, rage 5/day (3 rounds) Special Actions blood drain 1d4 Con, gaseous form Combat Gear potion of resist fire 10 Abilities Str 28, Dex 18, Con —, Int 14, Wis 15, Cha 14 SQ create spawn Feats AlertnessB , Combat ReflexesB , Dash*†, DodgeB , Exotic Weapon ProficiencyB (bastard sword), Extra Rage*, Improved InitiativeB , Lightning ReflexesB *Feat described in Complete Warrior *If you are using the taint rules in Heroes of Horror, replace Dash with the Touch of Taint feat from that book. Kavan’s speed becomes 40 ft. (8 squares). Skills Intimidate +10, Jump +20, Listen +20, Sense Motive +10, Spot +16, Survival +10 Possessions combat gear plus masterwork chain shirt, +1 bastard sword, gauntlets of ogre power Kavan the Grim Illus.byE.Widermann 95393720_Ch01.indd 1195393720_Ch01.indd 11 7/26/06 7:10:15 PM7/26/06 7:10:15 PM
12 CHAPTER1 ADVENTURESIN RAVENLOFT Fast Healing (Ex) If reduced to 0 hp in combat, Kavan automatically and immediately assumes gaseous form and makes his way toward an empty crypt in area K84, which he must reach within 2 hours or be utterly destroyed. Vampire Vulnerabilities Kavan suffers no ill effects from sunlight. Energy Drain (Su) Living creatures hit by Kavan’s slam attack gain two negative levels. At the same time, Kavan gains 10 temporary hit points. If you are using the taint rules in Heroes of Horror, Kavan’s energy drain also increases the target’s depravity score by 2 points or its corruption and depravity scores by 1 point each (because of his Touch of Taint feat). Magic Strike (Su) If Kavan hits with his slam attack, the attack is treated as magic for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. Blood Drain (Ex) If you are using the taint rules in Heroes of Horror, Kavan’s blood drain also increases the target’s corruption score by 2 points (because of his Touch of Taint feat). Gaseous Form (Su) Kavan’s Armor Class in gaseous form is 14, touch 14, flat-footed 10. When not raging, Kavan has the following changed statistics: AC 24, touch 14, flat-footed 20 Will +3 Melee +1 bastard sword +13 (1d10+8) and slam +7 (1d6+3 plus energy drain) Grp +12 Special Actions alternate form (doesn’t use), children of the night (doesn’t use), dominate (Will DC 14) Abilities Str 24 Skills Bluff +10, Hide +15, Jump +18, Move Silently +15, Search +10, Sense Motive +10, Survival +10 Alternate Form (Su) Although Kavan can change to other forms as any other vampires can, he never does so. Children of the Night (Su) Kavan revels in his own power and never uses this ability. SCRYING SPELL Strahd casts scrying on one of the PCs, based on the infor- mation reported to him by earlier spies. If the PCs have preventedanyspyfromreturningtoStrahdwithinformation about them, there is no scrying attempt this day. Strahd targets the character he believes is most likely to fail the Will save (DC 19). Take into account any of the fol- lowing circumstances that apply: • If Strahd is relying entirely on spies’ information, his choice of target is based on a sketchy description of the PCs. If one of the PCs is described as brutish (a half-orc barbarian, perhaps), then Strahd targets that character. He does not choose any character whose description suggests a spellcaster or one who has an animal companion. • If Strahd has observed the PCs in action before, he targets the character with the lowest Will save modifier. • Unless Strahd has personally seen the PCs, the targeted character gets a +5 bonus on the Will save. • If his spies secured a possession or garment of one of the PCs, Strahd targets that character, who takes a –4 penalty on the Will save. • If his spies secured a lock of hair, bit of nail, or similar piece of one of the PCs, Strahd targets that character, who takes a –10 penalty on the Will save. DIRE WOLVES Larger but far less intelligent than Strahd’s worg spies, these animals trail the PCs (or circle their camp) in a pack, occa- sionally piercing the night with their cries. If the PCs spend thenightinthevillage,theyhearthewolves’howlingnearby after nightfall. If a PC is alone, whether in the woods or on thestreets,thepackattacksimmediately.Otherwise,thedire wolves attack 1 hour after locating the party, even entering the village and trying to break through doors and windows. They try to flank and trip PCs but are not as sophisticated in their tactics as worgs—they do not position themselves to make attacks of opportunity, nor do they fight defensively. BAT SWARMS Masses of bats engulf all the PCs in their area. If the party is inside a building, the bats pour in through open doors, windows, and chimneys. They swarm around the PCs for up to 10 rounds, then disperse. Even if the swarms are dis- persed before then, some bats return to Strahd to give their report. DIRE BATS Enormous bats fly 10 feet off the ground over the area where the PCs are spending the night, screeching horribly (and striking terror into the townsfolk, if the PCs are in the vil- lage). If attacked, the bats fight back fiercely but flee after two are killed. GHASTS AND GHOULS This pack of undead stalks through the village or circles the PCs’ camp in the wilderness. If attacked, the monsters scatter—butreturninahalfanhourorso,maintainingtheir distance. Their aim is to tire the characters out by forcing them to remain vigilant through the night; the pack strikes about an hour before dawn. The undead use tactics similar to those of worgs: They concentrate on characters they per- ceive as weak, and team up to exploit flanking or use the aid another action. If a ghoul begins its turn adjacent to a para- lyzed character and at least 15 feet away from a nonparalyzed character, it grabs the paralyzed character and moves away from the battle. The ghasts continue to fight until no ghouls remain, then flee. VAMPIRE SPAWN These weak vampires were villagers until very recently, and they appear to be young, healthy humans—until they open their mouths. They behave in a friendly fashion, trying to get close enough to attack as many PCs as possible before the party can react. In particular, they target lightly armored characters who might otherwise stay out of melee and use ranged spells or attacks. Once each is adjacent to a PC, or combat begins, the spawn bare their fangs and attack. They fight without fear, fleeing to Castle Ravenloft (and their cof- fins in the crypts) in gaseous form if they are reduced to 0 hit points. WRAITH AND WIGHTS Like the ghouls, these undead stalk through the village or circle the PCs’ camp in the wilderness. Unlike the ghouls, they aim to hit hard, weaken the PCs, and then retreat. The wraith sends the wights forward in a pack to assault the main 95393720_Ch01.indd 1295393720_Ch01.indd 12 7/26/06 7:10:21 PM7/26/06 7:10:21 PM
13 CHAPTER1 ADVENTURESIN RAVENLOFT group while it sneaks around to attack spellcasters who are avoiding melee. The wights try to bestow negative levels on as many PCs as possible, while the wraith drains as much Constitution from its target as it can. Once half the wights have been destroyed, the remaining undead try to flee. SPECTRES Theseincorporealundeadbegin anencounterbyexploitingtheir unnatural aura. PCs in the vil- lage hear their stabled horses neighing wildly in response to spectres’ presence. If the PCs are camping in the wild, the spectres deliberately approach horses, animal companions, or any other animals with the party.(Arcanefamiliarsandspe- cial mounts are magical beasts, not animals, so they are not affectedbythespectres’unnatu- ral aura.) The spectres then hide in solid objects nearby (such as the ground), leaving only their faces exposed. They attack anyone investigating the source of the disturbance, draining the PCs of life energy to weaken them against Strahd. Once they have done sufficient damage, or if battle turns against them, the spectres dive into the ground and head back to the castle to report their observations. SASHA IVLISKOVA Sasha Ivliskova is a beautiful anddangerousvampirewhowas transformedbyStrahdinanear- lier romantic liaison. Although she is normally confined to her crypt beneath the castle, Sasha has been let off her short leash to spy on the PCs. She brings two vampire spawn with her but avoids combat at all costs. She casts blur and mage armor on herself before approaching the party’s location, and imme- diately flees in gaseous form if the PCs attack. The vampire spawn fight for a few rounds to cover Sasha’s retreat, then assume gaseous form themselves and follow their mistress back to the castle. For more information about Sasha, including her statistics block, see the description of Crypt 20 in area K84, page 123, and the associated tactical encounter on page 190. STRAHD If Strahd spies personally on the PCs, he assumes one of his animalforms(seepage7)andtravelswithagroupofthesame kind. The animals behave as described above, with Strahd blendinginasone of the pack. Ifcombatensues, Strahdjoins in until he is seriously threatened, then flees. If Strahd takes bat form and joins a swarm of bats, he is indistinguishable from the other members of the swarm. He cannot be targeted separately unless the attacker uses detect undead or some similar means to pinpoint Strahd’s location among the other bats. He shares the swarm’s space but makeshisownsavingthrows againstareaattacksthataffect the swarm, taking damage separately. Wind affects him justasitdoesaflyingcreature of his size. STRAHD’S GOALS Strahd is the driving force behind everything that goes on in this adventure. Usu- ally the desires of the PCs determine what direction they take, which of myriad opportunities they decide to pursue. Not so here. The PCs come to Barovia because Strahd wants them to. They stay because he will not permit them to leave. Strahd has two goals that drive his every action and influence his interac- tion with the PCs and the village of Barovia. One is fixed—his desire to win the love of Ireena Kolyana. His secondarygoalisvariableand determined by you, the DM, before the adventure begins. The nature of this goal deter- mines how and why Strahd brings the PCs to Barovia. It also guides his actions once they arrive and therefore has a dramatic impact on the overall tone and mood of the adventure. For this reason, you should choose a secondary goal that interests you. However, you can also randomly determine a goal by rolling 1d6 and consulting the follow- ing table. (In a short adventure or a one-night session, Strahd has no secondary goal; see page 18.) The description of each secondary goalbelow alsodiscusses Strahd’sgeneral strategy and the goal’s effect on the adventure’s mood. Strahd pens a letter that purports to come from the bur- gomaster of Barovia, which is intended to draw the PCs into hisscheme.Choosetheappropriateversionoftheletterfrom the Appendix, depending on whether Strahd has a second- ary goal and what it is. Photocopy the letter and give it to the players. Sasha Ivliskova Illus.byA.Stokes 95393720_Ch01.indd 1395393720_Ch01.indd 13 7/26/06 7:10:22 PM7/26/06 7:10:22 PM
14 CHAPTER1 ADVENTURESIN RAVENLOFT d6 Secondary Goal Letter 1 Brook No Rival A 2 Descent into Madness B 3 Strahd’s Dynasty C 4 Undead Legions D 5 Untamed Allies E 6* (no secondary goal) F *Roll again on a result of 6 if you want to determine a secondary goal randomly. If you are playing a situation in which Strahd has no secondary goal, letter F is the one the PCs receive. BROOK NO RIVAL Strahd seeks to destroy the coven of witches that gathers at Lysaga Hill, and in particular its leader, the green hag Baba Zelenna. (For more about the coven, see Chapter 3.) He believes—rightly—that Baba Zelenna seeks to summon a demonwhowouldchallengeStrahd’sauthorityoverBarovia. He hopes that by luring the PCs to Barovia, he can incite them to root out the witches. Either Baba Zelenna will come to Strahd for help, or the PCs will destroy the hag and scatter the coven. Strahd would be content with either outcome. To further this goal, Strahd sends a message (letter A) to the PCs that claims Ireena is suffering under a curse placed by the witches. Once the PCs have arrived in Barovia and dealt with the zombie plague, they find that Ireena has been having bad dreams—and bears the marks of Strahd’s bite on her neck. (They probably also discover that the letter is a forgery, since the burgomaster has been dead for some time.) Strahd hopes that the PCs are still curious about the witches of Lysaga Hill. Ireena and the other villagers do believe that the witches are a threat, and they inform the PCs that the coven gathers on the night of the new moon every month. If the PCs visit Lysaga Hill before the night of the new moon, they find the ancient ruins that mark the site of the gathering, along with the undead that haunt it, but Baba Zelenna evades them. Should they come at the new moon, they discover the witches in the midst of the summoning ritual. The witches have already succeeded in conjuring an aspect of their demon lord, and they are trying to create a portal through which his true form can pass. If the PCs fail topreventthis,thedemonprinceenterstheworldandmoves toward Castle Ravenloft. Strahd’s Strategy: As long as the PCs are working against thewitches,theyfindunlikelyalliesintheminionsofStrahd. Strahd’s spies do not attack or threaten them and maintain a relatively innocuous presence. The Vistani, Varikov the trapper, and even Strahd’s vampire servants offer informa- tion about the witches’ gatherings. If the PCs enter Castle Ravenloft before facing the witches, Strahd does not attack; if the PCs find him, he tries to turn them against the coven. He uses his dominate ability to bend as many PCs as possible to his will. He then departs, urging the dominated characters to leave the castle and hunt the witches. If the PCs defeat the witches, Strahd initially views them asuseful,ifunwitting,allies.ShouldtheyventureintoCastle Ravenloft afterward, he appears before them personally to thankthemfortheirhelpbutthenceforthavoidsthem.How- ever, if the PCs strip any of his fane-signs away from him or perform the bonding rituals for either the Sunsword or the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind, he finally recognizes them as a threat. At that point, he reverts to the cat-and-mouse tactics described throughout the adventure. Mood:Thisscenariocreatesandreinforcesamoodofinter- nal struggle. With Strahd’s assistance, the PCs do undeniable good by thwarting the witches’ demonic cult, but they are simultaneously aiding an even greater evil by helping Strahd remove a threat to his power. DESCENT INTO MADNESS During centuries of undeath, Strahd has grown increasingly depravedandisnowutterlylosttomadness.Hismadnesshas manifested as a shapeless spawn that has established itself in Strahd’soldaudiencechamber.Thishorroristhetruemaster of Castle Ravenloft now. Strahd does not have a specific goal in this scenario but is engaged in crazed activities that draw the PCs into the adventure. Without being fully conscious of it, Strahd seeks freedom from his madness. Such release can be accomplished only through the death of the shapeless spawn, but neither Strahd norhisminionscanattackthecreature.Whenhisworgspies reportthattheburgomasterofBaroviatriedtosendamessage outside the valley, this news triggers something in Strahd’s demented mind. He makes up a message (letter B)—little more than lunatic ravings—that he signs the burgomaster’s name to and sends it out into the world. The letter lands in the hands of the PCs. You can make this scenario particularly effective by adopting the taint rules in Heroes of Horror. (See the Taint, Corruption, and Depravity sidebar.) If you are using these rules,creatureswhogainnegativelevelsfromStrahd’senergy drain attacks also become more depraved and time spent in Castle Ravenloft has the same effect. When the PCs reach Barovia and meet Ireena, they find that—inadditiontosufferingfromStrahd’sblooddrain—she is also slowly going mad, her mind warped by Strahd’s atten- tions. Terrible nightmares have plagued her sleep, filled with tentacled horrors and howling darkness. She has gained a mild phobia of aberrations, forcing her to make a successful Will save (DC 12 + the CR of the aberration) whenever she encounters one, or be shaken for the duration of the encoun- ter. (If you are using the taint rules, Ireena has a depravity score of 4.) pqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqrs TAINT, CORRUPTION, AND DEPRAVITY The Heroes of Horror supplement details optional taint rules to increase the sense of horror. Encountering creatures tainted by evil, or simply remaining in a defiled area, makes characters increasingly twisted in both body and soul. The greater the taint, the more severe its effects on the character. Corruption emcompasses physical effects, ranging from mere blemishes to horrific decay and mutation. Depravity describes mental instability brought on by taint, anything from a mild phobia to full-blown psychosis. Full details on taint, corruption, and depravity begin on page 62 of Heroes of Horror. Certain characters encountered in this adventure might have corruption or depravity scores noted for campaigns that use the taint rules. pqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqrs 95393720_Ch01.indd 1495393720_Ch01.indd 14 7/26/06 7:10:24 PM7/26/06 7:10:24 PM
15 CHAPTER1 ADVENTURESIN RAVENLOFT Strahd’s Strategy: The minions of Strahd behave nor- mally,asdescribedthroughouttheadventure.Strahdhimself, however, acts erratically. Whenever the PCs enter an area in Castle Ravenloft in which Strahd might attack (accord- ing to the description of the area), there is a 25% chance he does so, regardless of other circumstances, unless he is incapacitated. Strahd’s tactics in battle suggest a confusion effect more than the actions of a genius. He always directs his attacks at the last character who dealt him damage, and he uses the most powerful attack or special ability he can muster in each round. He casts area spells against the target of his insane fury, centering them on that character without regard for how many others they can encompass in the area. When fighting, Strahd shouts crazed exclamations. The following are a few suggestions. • “Iiiiiirrrrreeeeeeeennnnnnaaaaaa!” • “The worms are creeping!” • “I am the once lord, no longer lord.” • “All is void and vanity.” • “Master! I am the master!” • “It’s so dark!” IfStrahddoesnotattack,somethingbizarreandinexplicable happens instead. Roll 1d10 and consult the Weird Happen- ings table below. These events have no harmful effects on the PCs but produce an ever more unnerving atmosphere. If you are using the taint rules in Heroes of Horror, each PC must make a DC 20 Will save each time a weird happening occurs. Failing this save increases the character’s depravity score by 1d3 points. If the PCs find and slay the shapeless spawn in area K25A (see the tactical encounter on page 138), Strahd begins to regain his hold on sanity. He still behaves erratically until the PCs find him in the room determined by the Fortunes of Ravenloft reading. (Even if they have encountered him there before, Strahd can always be found in this room after the shapeless spawn’s death.) At that time, his tactics are logical and intelligent—he even has the presence of mind to thank the PCs for freeing him from his madness. Mood: This scenario produces an adventure filled with confusionandasenseofeerinessorincongruity.Beingunable tofindthelogicorreasoninasituationcanbeahorrificexpe- rience. In addition, if you are using the taint rules, Strahd’s madnessspreadstothePCs.Theirincreasingdepravitycreates a mood of growing desperation and self-loathing. STRAHD’S DYNASTY Strahd seeks to found a dynasty of daywalker vampires, a network of undead spies and agents who will do his bidding, day or night. The PCs come to his attention because of their power: Turned to his service, they would be able minions. In this case, Strahd’s missive (letter C) is designed to draw the PCs directly to the castle. His servants harry them as they move about the village and surrounding lands, trying to drive the party in that direction. Strahd’s Strategy: Once the PCs reach the castle, Strahd tries to confront them one at a time and drink their blood. (Death by energy drain creates a useless vampire spawn, while a victim drained of blood becomes a formidable ser- vant.) He waits until a character becomes separated from the group within the castle, then attacks in human form. Strahd typically begins with mind fog to weaken his target’s will and then uses his dominate ability to subdue the PC without a fight. If that doesn’t work, he uses any or all of deep slumber, ray of exhaustion, and chill touch to weaken the character and increasehisownoddsinagrapple.Ifallelsefails,Strahduses his bead of force to restrain the character until his dominate attempt succeeds. (Since he has only one bead of force, he saves it for a truly desperate situation.) Oncehemanagestoovercomehistarget,Strahdcommands submission while he drains the dominated character dry. He then inters the body in a crypt beneath the castle. The dead PCanimatesasavampire1d4dayslater,unlesstheothersfirst find the body and either destroy it or return the character to life. Any PCs who rise as Strahd’s minions are sent against their former companions. Ifhemustfacetheentireparty(forexample,whenthePCs first enter the room indicated in the Fortunes of Ravenloft reading), Strahd leads with mind fog again, then tries deep slumber to take at least some PCs out of the fight. He tries to dominate all those who remain, commanding characters who succumb to stand aside from the battle. If he manages to overcomeastrongcombatant,suchasafighter,hecommands that PC to grapple a spellcaster who is resisting Strahd’s will (granting the attacker a new save with a +2 bonus). Mood: The possibility of fellow adventurers turning against the party, along with Strahd’s frequent attempts at domination, contributes to a mood of betrayal and distrust. Strahd also relies on separating and overcoming the PCs one by one, producing a sense of isolation throughout an adventure using this secondary goal. Weird Happenings d10 Effect 1 The sound of a voice screaming comes from somewhere in the castle; it sounds exactly like one of the PCs. 2 The area is abruptly swathed in a deeper darkness effect centered on a random PC; the effect ends when that PC leaves the area. 3 Every word spoken in the area is echoed in a harsh, evil whisper. 4 The last PC to enter the room sees a large shadow dart across the entrance behind him, but no creature can be detected. 5 An urgent whisper repeats one PC’s name over and over as long as any PCs remain in the area. 6 A random PC hears the soft giggling of a little girl; no one else can hear it. 7 A PC’s holy symbol drips blood while any PCs remain in the area. There is no evident source. 8 One of the PCs has a sudden sense of déjà vu, believing that he has been in this place before or perhaps dreamed it—then suddenly “remembers” dying horribly here. He can’t remember the cause. 9 When the PCs try to leave the area, regardless of the exit they choose, they find themselves leaving the way they came in. If they reenter the area, roll again for a Strahd attack or a new weird happening. 10 As the PCs enter, the area begins filling up with fog. After 1d6 rounds, this duplicates the effect of a fog cloud spell. If the PCs remain in the area, they begin to see phantasms in the fog, as described in the Mists section (page 49). 95393720_Ch01.indd 1595393720_Ch01.indd 15 7/26/06 7:10:26 PM7/26/06 7:10:26 PM
16 CHAPTER1 ADVENTURESIN RAVENLOFT UNDEAD LEGIONS The zombie infestation in the village of Barovia is just the beginning. Ultimately, Strahd wants to turn every living creature in the world into his mindless undead slave. His only interest in the PCs is as carriers to spread the infection to the outside world. In this situation, Strahd sends out a message (letter D) designed to lure the PCs to Barovia for a battle against undead. If this is Strahd’s goal, the zombie plague in the village is a trial run for his plans. Strahd killed Doru, the son of the village priest, Danovich. He also made sure that Danovich found and read a fragment from the Liber Blaspheme (see page 214), hoping that the grief-maddened priest would use the vile knowledge in that tome to restore his son to terrible unlife.Allisgoingaccordingtoplan,includingtheimminent arrival of the PCs. Only their success against the zombies is a surprise to the vampire. Strahd’sStrategy:AssumingthatthePCsdestroytheblas- pheme Doru, Strahd turns his full attention to transforming the party into the epicenter of a new outbreak of his plague. Outsidethecastle,hisservantskeepaclosewatchonthePCs and drive them to seek out their master in his home. Once thePCsenterthecastle,Strahd’stacticsaresimpleandbrutal. HeattackswheneverthePCsenteraroominwhichhemight be encountered, unless he is currently too weak from his last battle with them. Each time, he is accompanied by two infected Strahd zombies, which combine the virulent conta- gionwiththeextraordinaryresilienceofthesenewcreations. All other Strahd zombies encountered in the castle carry the infection as well. Strahd hopes that the PCs will contract the necromantic disease and spread it beyond Barovia. If the PCs return to the village after entering the castle, they find a renewal of the zombie plague, albeit diminished from its earlier level. (Reuse zombie encounters in the vil- lage as you see fit.) Each time they return to the village, they discover that a villager who was helpful to them on their last visithasbecomeazombie.Eventually,evenIsmark,sonofthe lateburgomaster,fallstotheplague.OnlyStrahd’sdestruction can put an end to the zombie attacks. Mood:Theseeminglyunstoppablezombieplague,spread- ing to people the PCs care about, lends a mood of spiraling despair to this scenario. The players should have a sense of racing against time, as the PCs try to destroy Strahd before he transforms the entire village into zombies. Infected Strahd Zombie CR 2 HP 42 ______________________________________________________ NE Medium undead Init +0; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Listen +0, Spot +0 AC 16, touch 10, flat-footed 16 (+6 natural) HD 6; DR 5/slashing Immune undead immunities Resist hard to kill Fort +2, Ref +2, Will +5 Speed 30 ft. (6 squares, can’t run) Melee slam +6 (1d6+4 plus disease) Base Atk +3; Grp +6 Atk Options disease Abilities Str 17, Dex 10, Con —, Int —, Wis 10, Cha 10 SQ hard to kill, plodding, undead traits Feats Toughness Skills Listen +0, Spot +0 Disease (Su) Necromantic infection—slam, Fort DC 13 negates, incubation period instant, damage sickened/—. An infected creature that drops to –1 hit points or fewer, or that dies, rises as an infected zombie in 1d4+1 rounds unless properly treated (see the sidebar on page 29). Hard to Kill (Ex) Whenever a Strahd zombie would take enough damage from a melee or ranged attack to be destroyed, roll 1d20. On a result of 11 or higher, the zombie ignores all damage that would reduce its hit points below 1. Plodding (Ex) Zombies can move and attack, but they can not move more than their speed (6 squares) on their action, and they cannot charge. UNTAMED ALLIES ThewerewolvesoftheSvalichWoodsdonotworkforStrahd, thoughtheydonotopposehim.Strahdconsidersthemallies, buthewouldliketomakethemhisservants.IfthisisStrahd’s goal, he entices the PCs to Barovia with a written message (letter E) describing the recent werewolf attacks. ThewerewolveshavenoinclinationtorebelagainstStrahd. They have been particularly active recently, having attacked thevillageseveraltimesintheweekortwobeforethezombie problem began. (Having no desire to be transformed into mindless undead monstrosities, the werewolves keep clear of the village as long as the zombie outbreak remains.) Once the PCs arrive and have dealt with the zombies, the villagers describe the monstrous wolf attacks that preceded the plague, only the latest in a series of misfortunes. Should the PCs observe the wounds on Ireena’s neck, they can rec- ognize them as unlike wolf bites—and Ireena denies having been attacked by a lycanthrope. (They probably also discover that the letter is a forgery, since the burgomaster has been dead for some time.) However, Strahd hopes that the PCs are still inclined to deal with the problem of the werewolves. If they begin a serious effort to fight the beasts, the PCs might have to appeal to Strahd for aid. Strahd’s Strategy: If the PCs start hunting werewolves in the Svalich Woods, the werewolves retaliate with a brutal attack upon the village while the party is away. At the same time, the werewolves entreat Strahd for assistance, which he grants in exchange for an oath of loyalty from their leader, the corrupted nymph Valicia. (See encounter C3: Nymph Hideaway, page 68.) Strahd sends his minions into the woods to help the werewolves. The tactical encounters C1, C2, and C3 in Chapter 3 include notes about Strahd’s servants, who are present only in this circumstance. Should the PCs defeat the werewolves and make their way to Castle Ravenloft, Strahd attacks them ferociously. He is furiousatthelossofsuchvaluableservants,andheslaughters any villagers he suspects of assisting the PCs. Mood: Thesavageandbloodthirstywerewolvesmakethis scenario similar to modern horror films. The violence of these encounters, and the shock of the slaughter in the vil- lage, defines the tone of the adventure. That mood continues even after the PCs have dealt with the werewolves and enter the castle. Once Strahd begins to murder the villagers, the survivors refuse to speak to the party, adding a sense of isola- tion to the mix. 95393720_Ch01.indd 1695393720_Ch01.indd 16 7/26/06 7:10:27 PM7/26/06 7:10:27 PM
17 CHAPTER1 ADVENTURESIN RAVENLOFT Adventure OptionsYou’re holding a 224-page book in your hands, and that’s a lot of adventure material. To make this book as useful to you as possible, this section presents several options for using the encounters in the way that best suits you, from one night of horrific adventure to a minicampaign lasting for months. One of the amazing things about the original Ravenloft module is that its fans never grew tired of running or play- ing in it. Thanks to the random element of the Fortunes of Ravenloft, the adventure was different every time, and we’ve tried to replicate that replayability. Even if you play the entire minicampaign, there will likely be some encounter sites that you don’t use, treasures the PCs don’t find, plans Strahd never has a chance to execute. You can flesh these out into later adventures (perhaps increasing the EL of encounters to challenge more experienced PCs), or even build a new campaign featuring Strahd, returned from apparent death, threatening the world with a new scheme. The nonlinear nature of this adventure means its encoun- ters are largely self-contained, a feature that encourages “plundering.” If you like a given tactical encounter, you can drop it in almost as written into a different adven- ture, or string several encounters together into your own storyline. These ideas are a starting point. What you do from here makes Expedition to Castle Ravenloft your own. MINICAMPAIGN This model uses all the material in this book to form a minicampaign lasting around fifteen to twenty sessions, or roughly five months of real time (assuming you play weekly). The PCs come to Barovia at Strahd’s invitation and remain there for weeks, exploring the lands surround- ing the village before attempting an assault on the castle itself. The entire adventure contains enough encounters and treasure for characters to advance from 6th level to 9th level by its conclusion. The minicampaign takes place in three acts that roughly correspond to the next three chapters of this book. Act I takes place in the village of Barovia, Act II in the surround- ing wilderness, and Act III in Castle Ravenloft itself. The order of the PCs’ explorations, however, is fluid. They might spend time in the wilderness in both Acts I and II, they’re likely to return to the village repeatedly, and they might enter Castle Ravenloft one or more times during Act II. As a minicampaign, Expedition to Castle Ravenloft can be demanding: The DM must maintain a sense of horror and dread over a long period, while the players must take the initiative to seek out clues and information that helps their characters rid Barovia of Strahd. PROLOGUE Tostarttheadventure,thePCsreceivealetter,ostensiblyfrom the burgomaster of Barovia. Combined with other rumors and information, this letter brings them to Strahd’s domain and plants the seeds of their adventure. The nature of the letter depends on Strahd’s secondary goal, if any. ACT I: INAUSPICIOUS START Uponarriving,thePCsfindthevillageofBaroviaundersiege from a sudden zombie infestation. To make things worse, anyone infected by zombies becomes a zombie if killed or severelyinjured.ThePCsarecalledontoquelltheincursion, if only to save themselves. Over the course of approximately threesessionsofplay,theyfightthezombies(withthehelpof a band of zombie-hunting mercenaries), encounter the new burgomaster and learn of the death of his father, and meet Ireena Kolyana, the object of Strahd’s monstrous obsession. Finally, they track the source of the zombie scourge to the church and the village priest, driven to madness by the death of his son. These encounters and events appear in Chapter 2, along with descriptions of the people and locations in the village of Barovia. During their adventures in Barovia, the PCs discover a number of leads pointing to various locations around the countryside. The Vistani in the village suggest having their fortunes told at the Tser Pool encampment. Ireena tells the PCs about the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind, a powerful defense against Strahd. One of the mercenaries has a notebook that describes the Sunsword, a legendary weapon she has been seeking to aid her fight against the undead. The villagers speak of witches and werewolves that haunt the surrounding wilderness.AndfromthejournalofthemadpriestDanovich, they can learn of the Tome of Strahd, a book in Ravenloft’s library that illuminates some of the vampire’s weaknesses. If nothing else, the PCs have a clue in the letter they received from Count Strahd. Any or all of these clues might lead the PCs into the events of Act II. ACT II: ILL FORTUNES AtthestartofActII,thePCsshouldbefollowingseverallines of investigation. Only one advances the storyline, though: visiting the Tser Pool encampment. There, Madam Eva can read the PCs’ fortunes and give veiled hints about the other informationtheyseek.(SeetheFortunesofRavenloftsection on page 56.) The PCs might decide to follow clues on their own, and even learn some important details, but any Vistani they encounter become increasingly insistent that Madam Eva is expecting them at the encampment. If the PCs set off without having their fortunes told first, you’ll have to deal and interpret the cards secretly. ReadingtheFortunesofRavenloftrevealsimportantclues about where the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind and the Sunsword can be found, and how to awaken the powers of both of these legacy items. The fortune-telling also reveals where to find the Tome of Strahd.The results of the reading randomly deter- mine these details: The items might lie hidden within Castle Ravenloftorsomewhereinthesurroundingwilderness.The fortune-tellingalsogivesthePCssomeinformationaboutthe secondary goals of Strahd, to assist them in their eventual showdownwiththevampire.Finally,thelayofthecardscasts omensabouttheirpath,whichtranslateintocombatpenalties and bonuses within certain areas of Castle Ravenloft. Armed with these clues, the PCs can track down the Holy Symbol and the Sunsword. Acquiring the legacy items, and awakening their powers, is central to the adventure. The Tome of Strahd reveals that some of Strahd’s power derives from his connection to the land of Barovia itself; severing this connection will weaken him further. 95393720_Ch01.indd 1795393720_Ch01.indd 17 7/26/06 7:10:29 PM7/26/06 7:10:29 PM
18 CHAPTER1 ADVENTURESIN RAVENLOFT Astheypursuetheseleads,thePCsmustdealwiththedanger- ousinhabitantsoftheregion,includingthewerewolvesofthe SvalichWoods,Varikovthecrazedtrapper,andthethreehags. TheirinvestigationsmightalsobringthePCsintothecastle— where an attack by the count himself should drive home the messagethattheymustbeadequatelypreparedbeforetheycan hopetodefeatStrahd.Wildernessencountersaredescribedin Chapter 3, and Chapter 4 details Castle Ravenloft. ACT III: THE FACE OF EVIL OncethePCsarearmedwiththeHolySymbolofRavenkindand theSunsword,andtheyhavecutoffStrahd’sconnectiontothe land, they are as prepared to face the vampire as they’re ever likely to be. By this time, they should be at or near 9th level, whichshouldenablethemtoexploreCastleRavenloftandulti- matelychallengeCountStrahdvonZarovich.Inordertomake best use of the Sunsword, however, the PCs must first destroy the Dayheart, which gives Strahd immunity to sunlight. Madam Eva’s fortune-telling determines where this final showdown will take place—the one spot from which Strahd will not flee a battle that turns against him. If Strahd is to be truly defeated, however, the PCs must venture into his crypt far beneath the castle to find his body and destroy it utterly. LONG ADVENTURE If you’d rather not sidetrack your entire campaign for several months, you can select some elements of the minicampaign to put together a long adventure lasting about eight sessions. In this model, Strahd starts off a little weaker—he lacks his legacy abilities from his connection to the land, so the PCs do not have to discover the Tome of Strahd and visit the three wilderness fanes. Other than that fact, the general outline of the adventure remains the same as described above. Strahd still has a secondary goal. Because the PCs do not have as much opportunity to gain experience before facing Strahd, they should begin at 7th level. This makes their encounters in the village easier, which also speeds their progress toward the castle and the final confrontation with Strahd. SHORT ADVENTURE If you so desire, you can truncate the adventure even fur- ther, so that it takes about four sessions to play through. In this model, the PCs need to find or awaken only one of the two legacy items. They do not need to destroy the Day- heart—Strahd has not yet managed to draw on its power to ward himself from sunlight. If you use this model, the PCs should begin at 8th level in order to have a chance against Strahd by the climax. Strahd has only a single goal in the short adventure. SESSION 1: WELCOME TO BAROVIA As in the minicampaign, the PCs receive a letter from Strahd tobegintheadventure.TheyarriveinBaroviaanddiscoverthe zombieinfestation.Inthismodel,thePCsspendlesstimecom- bating the zombies: Ashlyn and her comrades have had some success already, and have already found clues pointing to the village church as the source of the infection. The PCs should haveonegoodfightinthestreetsofthevillage(youmightneed to increase the numbers or strength of the opponents) before entering the church to find Danovich and the blaspheme. TheylearnoftheexistenceofboththeSunsword(fromAshlyn) and the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind (from Ismark and Ireena), although they need find only one of the items. Danovich’s library contains no mention of the Tome of Strahd. SESSION 2: GETTING AT THE ROOT Time is of the essence—you might have to tell the players outright that visiting the Tser Pool encampment is the most expeditious way to learn more. Madam Eva reads the PCs’ fortunes, but she does not deal a focus card for the Tome of Strahd. She provides information about only one of the two legacy items—the other, she says, is “hidden in shadow.” Armed with information from Madam Eva, the PCs strike out to a single wilderness fane (you decide which one) to recover the legacy item. Their assault on the castle has a specific room as their objective—the place where they can awaken the item they have retrieved. SESSION 3: ENTERING THE CASTLE The PCs brave the castle gates and make their way into Strahd’s home, seeking to awaken the hidden powers of the legacy item. Their first encounter with Strahd occurs in the dining hall as normal (see encounter area K10 on page 132) and ends with either the PCs or the vampire fleeing. The PCs find the room in which to perform the ritual and arm them- selves with one effective weapon against the vampire. SESSION 4: DEFEATING STRAHD Readyforthefinalconfrontation,thePCsexploretherestofthe castle until they encounter Strahd again in the room foretold by the Fortunes of Ravenloft. This time the vampire does not flee.Assumingtheywinthebattle,thePCsmuststillventure into the crypts to prevent Strahd from ever returning. ONE-NIGHT SESSION Perhaps you want to observe Halloween in classic style by takingabreakfromyourregularcampaignandventuringinto CastleRavenloft.Oryoujustneedtofillanightofadventuring. In that case, you can select material from this book to build one long session that comprises five or six encounters. For a one-night session, the characters should be about 9th level. They bypass most of Barovia and the surrounding lands, heading straight to the castle. In this model, Strahd hasneitherhisfane-signsnorimmunitytosunlight.ThePCs do not have time to acquire either the Holy Symbol of Raven- kind or the Sunsword, so they must rely entirely on their own abilities. The Fortunes of Ravenloft do not come into play in this short session, and Strahd has no secondary goal. INTRODUCTION: THE VILLAGE OF BAROVIA As in the minicampaign, the PCs receive a letter from Strahd to begin the adventure. In this scenario, the village of Baro- via is entirely free of zombies. The PCs quickly meet Ismark and Ireena, and Ireena pleads with them to destroy Strahd before he can finish what he has begun and make her his vampire bride. 95393720_Ch01.indd 1895393720_Ch01.indd 18 7/26/06 7:10:30 PM7/26/06 7:10:30 PM
19 CHAPTER1 ADVENTURESIN RAVENLOFT ADVENTURE: CASTLE RAVENLOFT The PCs enter the castle. Strahd attacks immediately after theirfirstcombatencounterandfightsthemjustlongenough to get their measure. He launches his next attack at what he feels is the most advantageous moment, and this time he fights to the death. Allow the PCs to explore the castle freely for most of the time allotted for your session. Then have Strahd attack about an hour before you want to end the game. Simply defeating Strahd in combat is a significant accom- plishment, and you can end the adventure at that point if you desire. Alternatively, the PCs can descend into the crypts to find Strahd’s tomb and destroy him utterly, but that has the potential to expand the adventure beyond a single session. ADVENTURE HOOKS CharacterscouldbecomeentangledinStrahd’smachinations through a wide variety of methods. The adventure works best if the PCs have at least two distinct reasons to visit Baro- via—in addition to feeling properly motivated, they’ll have plenty of questions to ask once they arrive. Regardless of the length of the adventure or Strahd’s sec- ondary goals, one hook is always the letter purporting to be from the village’s burgomaster. (See Letter from Barovia, page 21.) If you are running Expedition to Castle Ravenloft as a one-night session, this alone should be enough to draw the PCs to Barovia—you don’t want them wasting time chasing down other leads. For longer adventures, choose at least one hook from the options presented below (or create one of your own, drawing on these for inspiration). SMUGGLERS’ DEN A constable, duty collector, or other official in one of the regions near Barovia asks the PCs to help root out a group of smugglers operating in the area. The nature of this official’s concern is up to you to determine: She might be pursuing them for evading duties on luxury goods (such as fine wine or rich cloth), be outraged because they are supplying weap- ons to bandits or insurgents, or be trying to locate a stolen treasure. Evidence provided by the official or rooted out by the PCs points to the valley of Barovia—conveniently situ- ated outside the jurisdiction of any larger government—as thesmugglers’headquarters.Theofficial believes the human and halfling “gypsies” who travel throughout the region are transporting the contraband goods. GRIEF’S PLEA The PCs encounter Helene Maurgen, the grieving wife of an adventurer who was last seen entering Barovia three months ago,armedwithsilversheenandwolfsbane.ShebegsthePCsto find her husband, or at least his body. If he is dead, she would like them to return his wedding ring to her as a memento. This lost adventurer, Jeref Maurgen, is now a trophy in the cavern home of Varikov the trapper (see encounter area H2 on page 82). Jeref had been hunting werewolves at the outer edge of the Svalich Woods, and came home to stock up on silversheenbeforefightingthebeasts.Varikovfoundandkilled him first. SEARCH FOR THE SUNSWORD In response to the threat of a powerful undead creature (whichcouldbeotherthanStrahd),thePCsmustseekoutthe legendary Sunsword. The mighty weapon disappeared from knowledgecenturiesago,butthePCs’researchindicatesthat it was last used in the remote mountain valley of Barovia. CALL OF THE LIGHTBRINGERS ThishookworkswellifanyofthePCshaveadoptedaprestige class focused oncombating the undead, suchasthe hunterof the dead (Complete Warrior), master of radiance (Libris Mortis), radiant servant of Pelor (Complete Divine), or sacred purifier (LibrisMortis),orifthepartyincludesaclericofPelororother devotee of that god. An organization known as the Light- bringers, dedicated to fighting the undead, sends out a call for help—a call that reaches the PCs’ ears. (See the Appendix for more about the Lightbringers organization.) A group of pqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqrs DEALING WITH DEATH Expedition to Castle Ravenloft is a dangerous adventure, and one or more PCs might well die over its course. If the characters are lucky, their friends are merely dead; if things go poorly, former allies might become vampire slaves of Count Strahd. Barovia is isolated and the village cleric, in addition to being only 5th level, is entirely mad. Thus, the characters probably do not have access to resurrection magic (unless their own cleric reaches 9th level by the end of the adventure). How, then, should you deal with dead characters—and, more to the point, their players?’ A few NPCs could make good replacements for fallen char- acters. These include Ashlyn the Lightbringer (whose statistics appear in tactical encounter E3, page 36), Sir Urik (tactical encounter F, page 74), and possibly even Ireena Kolyana (entry E11, page 30). All three of these characters have equipment appropriate to PCs of their level—though Ireena starts with a handicap, in that she has already failed her saving throw against Strahd’s dominate ability and lost some Constitution to his blood drain. Of course, you can also allow players of dead PCs to bring new characters into the adventure. A new character should start at the beginning of the level one below that of the dead character (DMG 42); for example, if a 7th-level character dies, the new character should start at the beginning of 6th level. You should choose a suitable adventure hook to draw that character to Barovia (see Adventure Options on page 17), which can be the same as the original one or a new one. (A new hook is useful if the PCs are floundering and could use a new direction to ex- plore.) Alternatively, the new character’s previous adventuring companions all met horrible ends, and she barely managed to stagger into Barovia with her life. If a PC is transformed into a vampire, it’s best to take over that character as an NPC and let the player create a new one. Another possibility—especially effective in a one-night session—is to let the player join you on the other side of the screen, roleplaying the new vampire’s service to Strahd against her former allies. This approach enhances the mood of horror by creating a sense of growing isolation in the remaining players’ minds. On the other hand, it contributes to an antagonistic relationship be- tween the DM and the players, which is not a good dynamic for an ongoing campaign. pqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqrs 95393720_Ch01.indd 1995393720_Ch01.indd 19 8/3/06 3:14:11 PM8/3/06 3:14:11 PM
20 CHAPTER1 ADVENTURESIN RAVENLOFT Lightbringers journeyed to Barovia, where they found the village plagued by zombies. The leader of this expedition, a paladin named Ashlyn, sent a message to her Lightbringer superiors asking for reinforcements. RACE TO THE TOME If Expedition to Castle Ravenloft takes place in the EBERRON™ setting, consider using this hook instead of or in addition to any of the others included here. “Race to the Tome” adds a layer of Eberron-flavored intrigue to the adventure. The PCs learn of an ancient tome of lore dating from the early days of Karrnath, in the years of Karrn’s conquest leading up to the formation of Galifar. Besides its obvious historical value, this volume—the Tome of Strahd—is said to contain necromantic secrets unknown to modern spellcast- ers. Such knowledge is certain to be attractive to the Order of the Emerald Claw. Evidence points to the tome being somewhere in Barovia, a small valley nestled between the civilized heart of Karrnath and the forbidding mountains of the Mror Holds. ThePCsmightlearnoftheTomeofStrahdontheirownand seekitout,orsomepatron(suchasaknightoftheSilverFlame, a disguised dragon of the Chamber, a wealthy member of the Aurum, or an agent of the Emerald Claw) might hire them to findit.Enemiesarealsoafterthetome—mostlikelyagentsof the Emerald Claw, but possibly of another organization that better suits your campaign. Example opponents include the Emerald Claw necromancer Demise (at 8th level) or Halas Martainthemercenary(at9thlevel);thesecharactersarepre- sented on pages 252–253 of the EBERRON CAMPAIGN SETTING. See the Action Points in Ravenloft sidebar for information about adjusting the adventure for an EBERRON campaign. RELICS OF THE MORNINGLORD If Expedition to Castle Ravenloft takes place in theFORGOTTEN REALMS™ setting, consider using this hook instead of or in addition to any of the others included here. “Relics of the Morninglord” ties the adventure more closely to the people and places of Faerûn. An earnest young priest of Lathander contacts the PCs. Gevyen Tallmer is a scholar, not an adventurer: A 5th-level cleric (or at least one level below the lowest-level PC in the party), he has more knowledge of ancient texts than contemporary monsters. His field of study is relics of the Morninglord, and he believes he has stumbled across an important text. According to Gevyen’s research, a small sect of Lathander’s church is active in a remote region of Damara, largely isolated from the rest of the world. This sect is served by a small priesthood and two slightly larger orders, the Ecaterine monks and the Knights of the Raven. The short passage Gevyen discovered mentions three holy shrines dedicated to saints of Lathander in the same remote region,aswellastwopowerfulartifacts.Oneisaholysymbol that shines like the sun, and the other is said to be the first sun blade. Gevyen’s proposition is fairly straightforward: The road to Damara is long and dangerous, and he seeks an escort of powerful adventurers. His destination is Barovia, a small realm nestled in the eastern reaches of the Galena Moun- tains, a few days’ journey from Ironspur. The priest doesn’t anticipate any trouble once he reaches the remote valley. NEXUS OF SHADOW Forarealtwist,ExpeditiontoCastleRavenloft can be a horrific experience for a group of d20 MODERN™ characters. Most of the pre- cedinghooksworkjustaswellinamodern setting as they do in a traditional D&D setting. Consider using this hook if your campaign has the PCs investigating para- normal phenomena, such as in the SHADOW CHASERS model or the URBAN ARCANA™ Campaign Setting. The PCs learn of a remote European castle that is said to be haunted. In contrast to most such stories, however, none of the rumors about this place deal with events inside the castle—rather,thetalegoes,noonehasenteredandsurvived to tell about it. So great is the evil of this place that it extends beyondthecastlewallstoencompassthesurroundingvalley. Monstrous wolves, ghostly spirits, giant bats, and bestial ogres are said to terrorize the area, known as Barovia, tucked away in an isolated part of eastern Europe. If the PCs work for Department-7 or a similar organization, they are sent to investigate this mysterious castle; otherwise, they learn of it during their own investigations. Depending on the nature of your campaign, you might want to downplay the nonhuman humanoids in the adven- ture. When an encounter describes halfling Vistani, use the human Vistani statistics instead. The elf werewolves in the Svalich Woods use the statistics presented but appear more human, though slightly feral. Similarly, Varikov looks more or less human (if short and stocky), but his statistics are unchanged. See the Action Points in Ravenloft sidebar for information about adjusting the adventure for a d20 MODERN campaign. pqqqqqqqqqrs ACTION POINTS IN RAVENLOFT In an EBERRON or d20 MODERN campaign, having a pool of action points might diminish the sense of horror in this adventure, since the element of risk is less. To restore a mood of dread, a special rule applies to the use of action points within Castle Ravenloft. Whenever a PC spends an action point for a bonus on a d20 roll but still fails the check, Strahd immediately gains 1 action point. If the PCs are fighting Strahd when this occurs, the corners of his mouth twist into a wicked smile. The fol- lowing readaloud text conveys the sense that something is terribly wrong. You make a heroic effort, but luck still fails you. A chill passes briefly through your body. Strahd begins with 5 action points. Action points “stolen” from PCs can raise his total without limit. Strahd can spend action points just as characters can—and he does so freely, knowing that his supply will quickly be replenished. Action points spent outside Castle Ravenloft cannot trans- fer to Strahd. Only within the castle can he benefit from the ill luck of others. pqqqqqqqqqrs 95393720_Ch01.indd 2095393720_Ch01.indd 20 7/26/06 7:10:33 PM7/26/06 7:10:33 PM
21 CHAPTER1 ADVENTURESIN RAVENLOFT LETTER FROM BAROVIA However you get them to travel to Barovia, once the PCs are on their way, use Strahd’s letter to further draw them into the adventure. The letter is ostensibly from the burgomaster of Barovia, Kolyan Indirovich. Roughly a day’s travel from the village, the party comes upontheWearyHorseInn,aroadsidehostelwhosecommon roomhosts patrons fromthe sparselypopulated countryside. Whether the PCs stay there for the night or stop in briefly for a meal or information, a messenger from Barovia finds them there and delivers the letter. If they continue past the inn without stopping, the messenger runs out and calls out to them to stop. The following readaloud text assumes that the PCs are dining in the common room of the inn. With the dying of daylight, a fog creeps across the land, clutching everything in its clammy grasp. Inside the Weary Horse Inn, though, the fire is warm enough, and if the few patrons are sullen and stare at you a little boldly, at least the food and drink are good. For an inn’s common room, it’s quiet. It holds no more than a handful of customers. They keep their voices low, and even the clink of their mugs seems subdued as the fog gathers outside. When the door swings open, every head turns to see who has arrived. This new arrival loudly stamps the mud off his boots in the doorway, then strides confidently over, throwing a letter down on the table in front of you. “The village of Barovia is in need of heroes,” he says in a thick accent. “You’ll do as well as any.” Without another word, he turns to leave. The messenger is a human Vistani (see page 76). If the PCs stop him to ask questions, he offers little more information. He can be persuaded to add the following details but refuses to answer questions about himself or the other Vistani. • “Barovia lies to the west, a full day’s ride from here. You would do well to leave at first light. They say the Svalich Woods are not safe at night.” • “The letter is from the burgomaster. That is all I know.” • “My journeys take me through Barovia, but I do not live there. The villagers’ troubles are not my troubles. They pay me to find them heroes, and that is what I have done.” The Vistani’s directions are accurate. The Weary Horse Inn stands about 30 miles from the village of Barovia. At a speed of 40 feet, a traveler requires almost 8 hours to cover that distance; unencumbered light horses can make the journey in about 5 hours. Barovia and Castle RavenloftThe map on page 54 gives an overview of the village and lands of Barovia, which are detailed in the following chap- ters. Chapter 2 describes encounters in the village (area E on the overview map), while Chapter 3 covers encounters in the surrounding areas (areas C, D, F, G, H, and I). Chapter 4 describes Castle Ravenloft itself (areas J and K). The PCs approach the village of Barovia along the Old Svalich Road (area A on the overview map). Assuming they stick to the road, the gates of Barovia welcome them (area B on the overview map). A. Old Svalich Road Black pools of water stand like dark mirrors about the muddy roadway. A pall of thick, cold mist spreads over the ground. Giant tree trunks stand guard on both sides of the road, their branches clawing at the mists. In every direction the fog grows thicker and the forest seems more oppressive. The road seems threatening but is actually quite safe. Strahd’s servants do not generally venture beyond the gates of Barovia, so the PCs do not have any significant encoun- ters along the way. B. Gates of Barovia Gray in the fog, high stone pillars loom up from the impenetrable woods on both sides of the road. Huge iron gates hang from the stonework, dew clinging to their rusting bars. Standing before the pillars are two stone statues of armed guardians with wicked polearms. Their carved heads lie among the weeds at their feet, neatly broken from the stone shoulders. If the PCs approach within 50 feet from the outside, the gates screech open slowly. After the PCs pass through (or retreat to a distance greater than 50 feet), the gates close again with a loud clang. Approaching from the Barovia side does not cause the gates to open, and in fact they are difficult (Strength DC 28) to force open from that side. Characters can circle around the gates to leave Barovia if they wish, although they might have to contend with the mists (see page 49). The Tome of StrahdThe Tome of Strahd is an ancient work penned by Strahd him- self. It is a tragic tale of how Strahd came to his fallen state, blurring into a nightmarish raving about the power he has since acquired. The book is bound in a thick black leather cover with brass hinges and fastenings. The pages are made of parchment and are very brittle. The language is Common, but the handwriting is small, cramped, and difficult to read. Stainsandagehavemademuchofthebookentirelyillegible. Characters can make out the text presented on the following page, but the remainder of the book is beyond deciphering. Madam Eva’s reading of the Fortunes of Ravenloft (see page 56) determines the actual location of the Tome of Strahd in the course of the adventure. 95393720_Ch01.indd 2195393720_Ch01.indd 21 7/26/06 7:10:35 PM7/26/06 7:10:35 PM
22 CHAPTER1 ADVENTURESIN RAVENLOFT I am the Ancient, I am the Land. My beginnings are lost in the darkness of the past. I was the warrior, I was good andI am the Ancient, I am the Land. My beginnings are lost in the darkness of the past. I was the warrior, I was good and just. I thundered across the land like the wrath of a just god, but the war years and the killing years wore down myjust. I thundered across the land like the wrath of a just god, but the war years and the killing years wore down my soul as the wind wears stone into sand.soul as the wind wears stone into sand. All goodness slipped from my life; I found my youth and strength gone, and all I had left was death. My armyAll goodness slipped from my life; I found my youth and strength gone, and all I had left was death. My army settled in the valley of Barovia and took power over the people in the name of a just god, but with none of a god’ssettled in the valley of Barovia and took power over the people in the name of a just god, but with none of a god’s grace or justice.grace or justice. I called for my family, long unseated from their ancient thrones, and brought them here to settle in the castleI called for my family, long unseated from their ancient thrones, and brought them here to settle in the castle Ravenloft. They came with a younger brother of mine, Sergei. He was handsome and youthful. I hated him for both.Ravenloft. They came with a younger brother of mine, Sergei. He was handsome and youthful. I hated him for both. From the families of the valley, one spirit shone above all others. A rare beauty, who was called “perfection,” “joy,”From the families of the valley, one spirit shone above all others. A rare beauty, who was called “perfection,” “joy,” and “treasure.” Her name was Tatyana, and I longed for her to be mine.and “treasure.” Her name was Tatyana, and I longed for her to be mine. I loved her with all my heart. I loved her for her youth. I loved her for her joy. But she spurned me! “Old One” wasI loved her with all my heart. I loved her for her youth. I loved her for her joy. But she spurned me! “Old One” was my name to her—“elder” and “brother” also. Her heart went to Sergei. They were betrothed. The date was set.my name to her—“elder” and “brother” also. Her heart went to Sergei. They were betrothed. The date was set. With words she called me “brother,” but when I looked into her eyes they reflected another name—“death.”With words she called me “brother,” but when I looked into her eyes they reflected another name—“death.” It was the death of the aged that she saw in me. She loved her youth and enjoyed it. But I had squandered mine.It was the death of the aged that she saw in me. She loved her youth and enjoyed it. But I had squandered mine. The death she saw in me turned her from me. And so I came to hate death, my death. My hate is very strong;The death she saw in me turned her from me. And so I came to hate death, my death. My hate is very strong; I would not be called “death” so soon.I would not be called “death” so soon. I made a pact with death, a pact of blood. On the day of the wedding, I killed Sergei, my brother. My pact wasI made a pact with death, a pact of blood. On the day of the wedding, I killed Sergei, my brother. My pact was sealed with his blood.sealed with his blood. I found Tatyana weeping in the garden east of the chapel. She fled from me. She would not let me explain, and aI found Tatyana weeping in the garden east of the chapel. She fled from me. She would not let me explain, and a great anger swelled within me. She had to understand the pact I made for her. I pursued her. Finally, in despair, shegreat anger swelled within me. She had to understand the pact I made for her. I pursued her. Finally, in despair, she flung herself from the walls of Ravenloft, and I watched everything I ever wanted fall from my grasp forever.flung herself from the walls of Ravenloft, and I watched everything I ever wanted fall from my grasp forever. It was a thousand feet through the mists. No trace of her was ever found. Not even I know her final fate.It was a thousand feet through the mists. No trace of her was ever found. Not even I know her final fate. Arrows from the castle guards pierced me to my soul, but I did not die. Nor did I live. I became undead, forever.Arrows from the castle guards pierced me to my soul, but I did not die. Nor did I live. I became undead, forever. I have studied much since then. “Vampyr” is my new name. I still lust for life and youth, and I curse the livingI have studied much since then. “Vampyr” is my new name. I still lust for life and youth, and I curse the living that took them from me. Even the sun is against me. It is the sun and light I fear the most. But little else can harmthat took them from me. Even the sun is against me. It is the sun and light I fear the most. But little else can harm me now. Even a stake through my heart does not kill me, though it holds me from movement. But the sword, thatme now. Even a stake through my heart does not kill me, though it holds me from movement. But the sword, that cursed sword that Sergei brought! I must dispose of that awful tool! I fear and hate it as much as the sun.cursed sword that Sergei brought! I must dispose of that awful tool! I fear and hate it as much as the sun. I have learned much, too, about this land of Barovia. Ancient are its ways, ancient beyond the knowledge of theI have learned much, too, about this land of Barovia. Ancient are its ways, ancient beyond the knowledge of the simple folk of the valley. I have walked the ancient ways, secret roads linking three fanes of might, and thus I havesimple folk of the valley. I have walked the ancient ways, secret roads linking three fanes of might, and thus I have become the Land.become the Land. Three ancient saints dwelt in this valley long before my coming, and three hidden fanes still give tribute to theirThree ancient saints dwelt in this valley long before my coming, and three hidden fanes still give tribute to their memories. I visited the Swamp Fane, the Forest Fane, and the Mountain Fane, and claimed their power for my own.memories. I visited the Swamp Fane, the Forest Fane, and the Mountain Fane, and claimed their power for my own. Thus I solidified my grasp on this dim shadow of life.Thus I solidified my grasp on this dim shadow of life. I made the fanes my own, and I have become the Land. Also I made the fane-servants my own, and they nowI made the fanes my own, and I have become the Land. Also I made the fane-servants my own, and they now serve me as once they served the saints of the fanes.serve me as once they served the saints of the fanes. I have often hunted for Tatyana. I have even felt her within my grasp, but she escapes. She taunts me! She tauntsI have often hunted for Tatyana. I have even felt her within my grasp, but she escapes. She taunts me! She taunts me! What will it take to bend her love to me?me! What will it take to bend her love to me? I now reside far below Ravenloft. I live among the dead and sleep beneath the very stones of this hollow castleI now reside far below Ravenloft. I live among the dead and sleep beneath the very stones of this hollow castle of despair. I shall seal shut the walls of the stairs that none may disturb me.of despair. I shall seal shut the walls of the stairs that none may disturb me. 95393720_Ch01.indd 2295393720_Ch01.indd 22 7/26/06 7:10:37 PM7/26/06 7:10:37 PM
ist blanketed the village, smothering the streets and marooning the buildings, forming an archipelago of crumbling masonry in a gray, hopeless sea. At the village’s lonely edge, most structures were abandoned, burnt-out hulks. Charcoal was thick on the air, but that choking odor couldn’t overpower the underlying, sickly sweet smell of carrion and spoilage. Claw marks raked some of the vacant homes, ominous not merely because of their presence, but because of the five-fingered, handlike shape they suggested. Farther inward, most buildings survived. Doors were barricaded with tables, broken carts, and smashed furnishings. Windows were shuttered and planked. But had anyone been saved? Silence was thick in the fog-bound streets, as though from cotton stuffed into the ears. Nothing living stirred, nothing breathing walked the streets. But where the living were absent, the newly dead shambled. And hunger, too, raw and unstoppable, stalked the village, mul- tiplying with each new corpse that kicked and shuddered its way back toward animation. A hunger that could never be slaked. An infection that could never be stemmed. The village of Barovia has suffered a string of bad luck. As if Strahd’s recent attacks weren’t enough, now a burgeoning necromantic infection threatens to erase it utterly (although the zombie attack may be only indirectly related). Characters whocomeuponthevillagehaveafightontheirhandssimply to get to its central square. Has the entire village fallen to multiplying zombies? ZOMBIE INCURSION Entering Barovia is like moving through a war zone. Any travel at all is risky—zombies might lurk anywhere, and probably do. SUMMARY PCs who want to figure out what’s going on need to get to the village square, which is still effectively held against the zombies (area E3), or to the burgomaster’s home (area E11). Although this house is zombie-free, it has been recently breached by Strahd. Characters eventually learn that the heart of the incursion festers in the old church and its graveyard (areas E7 and E8, respectively). If the PCs overcome the challenges in those areas, they quell the zombie infestation and the accompanying monstrous attacks. All zombies drop to the ground, becoming ordinary corpses; grieving survivors gather and bury their dead. Opportunistic monsters, such as ghouls, dire maggots, and the like, slink away from the village when they realize that the infection no longer offers them cover. 23 Illus.byK.AndrasofszkyIllus.byK.Andrasofszky 95393720_Ch02.indd 2395393720_Ch02.indd 23 7/26/06 7:15:48 PM7/26/06 7:15:48 PM
24 CHAPTER2 VILLAGEOF BAROVIA RUNNING THE ZOMBIE INCURSION This chapter contains several zombie tactical encounters (E1, E2, E3, and E9), which correspond to the adventure information presented in the keyed entries. First Street Encounter: Tactical encounter E1: Zombie Street Ambush is intended as the first experience with the infestation when the PCs arrive in the village. The PCs run into zombies randomly as they travel the streets and investigate buildings. Some encounters are also keyed to specific locations, as detailed in the following pages. Subsequent Street Encounters: When the PCs reach the intersection marked E2 on the village map, they come upon another group of zombies and associated creatures. This combat is presented in tactical encounter E2: Zombie Street Encounter. For every 40 feet they travel through the village of Barovia, the PCs have a 45% chance of encounter- inganothergroupofzombiesintheabandonedstreets.(Such random encounters should not take place within 40 feet of a keyed area.) You can use tactical encounter E2 to handle these random fights; the tactical information includes instructions for varying the setup accordingly. Should the PCs make it to the village square, they encounter a paladin trying to fightoffthezombiesthat have broken through one of the barricades. Tactical encounter E3: Zombies in Town Square, page 36, contains detailed information. Building Encounters: Most buildings in the village are not keyed to adventure locations. The citizens have piled up furniture and assorted junk to barricade doors against the undead hordes (hardness 5; 50 hp; break DC 20). If the PCs break into such a building, roll on the table below to deter- mine what they find inside. If the result indicates zombies, use tactical encounter E9: Zombie-Infested Building (page 46). Specific buildings might have locked doors instead; the tactical encounters provide such details. Barovia Building Encounters d% Encounter 01–50 Empty building 51–70 Barovian survivors 71–100 Zombies Empty Building: This building is unoccupied. If you wish, youcanroll1d4:onaresultof1or2,thestructureisanempty tenement; on a 3, an abandoned shop; and on a 4, a looted warehouse. For each 10 minutes spent searching the debris in a building, the party can attempt a DC 25 Search check. On a success, roll for a random treasure (Table 3–5: Treasure, DMG52)suitablefora1st-levelencounter.Nounkeyedbuild- ing has more than one treasure. Barovian Survivors: A group of 2d4 villagers are huddled in the building. The scared survivors inform the PCs that the zombie attack began only a few days ago but got worse quickly. Anyone who is killed by a zombie rises as a zombie a fewmomentslater.ThevillagersbegthePCstoescortthemto the village square, which they’ve heard is still holding out. Zombies: This building is inhabited only by zombies, whether transformed villagers or marauders that broke in some other way. If characters take shelter in an abandoned building, there is a 25% chance per hour that a mob of 2d4+1 zombies shows up at the entrance and tries to break in. (Use the infected zombie statistics presented in any of the referenced tactical encounters.) If the zombies fail to gain entrance after 2d10 rounds, they lose interest and shamble away. E. Streets of Barovia Tall shapes loom from the dense fog, and the muddy ground underfoot gives way to slick, wet cobble- stones. A dilapidated wooden sign reads “Welcome to the Village of Barovia.” As you grow closer, the shapes resolve into tenements whose windows are boarded, broken, and lightless. Nothing moves near- by, though the fog limits visibility. Faint sounds, as of something groaning, echo hollowly from some- where deeper in the settlement. When characters enter keyed adventure locations (identified by letter-number combinations on the village map), refer to the appropriate entries below. Not every entry has an asso- ciated tactical encounter; some of them detail interactions with important NPCs, while others involve examining an area and do not provoke combat. 95393720_Ch02.indd 2495393720_Ch02.indd 24 7/26/06 7:15:51 PM7/26/06 7:15:51 PM